Major projects such as the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) can help propel Robertson Group to new heights after a record-breaking year, the firm’s boss said yesterday.
Executive chairman Bill Robertson added the Elgin and Stirling-based construction company had successfully concluded a five-year strategic plan, leaving it well-positioned for further growth across the UK.
He was speaking after the 50-year-old group, which employs 2,000 people and is one of the largest privately owned businesses of its kind in the UK, posted record gross turnover of £453million for the 12 months to March 31 – a 54% jump on the £295million achieved the year before.
Pre-tax profits raced ahead by 81% during the latest period, to £21.4million, as Robertson also put together its strongest forward order book to date.
Mr Robertson highlighted “continued and sustainable” growth across its 19 diverse infrastructure-based businesses, most notably in the construction, housebuilding and partnership homes divisions.
“We effectively now have 19 platforms for growth,” he said, hailing the group’s £250million-plus contract for the new AECC – a development worth a total of more than £330million – as the biggest in its history.
“It’s a super project to be involved in,” he added.
Work has already begun on the new facility at Bucksburn, with developer Henry Boot aiming to have a new 12,500-seat arena and 200-bedroom hotel completed by 2019.
Mr Roberston said the development, which is expected to create hundreds of jobs during the construction phase, would showcase Robertson’s capabilities for handling major projects.
Robertson boasted of a “healthy” £25.6million net cash position at the end of a year that saw contracts won on both sides of the Scottish border.
The company recently opened an office in Sheffield as part of its strategy to target more business in England, where turnover grew to a record £100million last year.
Other key highlights for the group included its capital projects subsidiary securing preferred bidder status for a new £62million hospital in Kirkwall and its Partnership Homes business winning contracts to build more than 2,500 homes around Scotland over the next five years.
A Partnership Homes business has also been formed to help deliver “much needed social and affordable homes” in the north of England.
Robertson said a long-term order book at its facilities management operation, which employs 700 people, boosted the group-wide pipeline to about £2billion.
The group’s workforce, which has already mushroomed by 600 people in the past 18 months, is expected to swell by a further 5% in the coming year.
Mr Robertson said: “We are delighted with the continued progress across all of our 19 operating companies.
“The group has now started delivering on its new five-year strategic plan, with a strong focus on sustainability, innovation and productivity.”
