August 26, 2015

Carillion: Half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2015

• First-half financial performance in line with expectations – Strong first-half revenue growth reflected the exceptional volume of new contracts won in 2014 – Underlying profit and earnings grew strongly, despite substantial costs of mobilising new contracts and the expected effect of the margin in Construction services (excluding the Middle East) trending down

Read More »

Hire Group HSS announce further losses

HSS Hire Group plc today announces results for the 26 week period ended 27 June 2015. Financial Highlights for HSS Hire Group plc Group revenue up 12.1% to £146.4m (H1 14: £130.6m), with organic growth of 10.6% Adjusted EBITDA (2) flat at £28.9m (H1 14: £28.9m), due to plc and

Read More »

Suspended prison sentences for Torbay brothers’ poor gaswork

An unregistered gas fitter and his brother illegally installed a gas boiler and left it in a dangerous condition. Lee Butterworth, 43, who trades as English Riviera Building Company Ltd, contracted his brother Scott Butterworth, aged 41, to carry out the work at a house at Crabtree Close, Plymouth. The

Read More »

Seddon to deliver Keele Innovation Centre

Builder and developer Seddon has been appointed to deliver a £7 million state-of-the art innovation centre at Keele University Science and Innovation Park. The project will see the firm build the three storey, 65,336 sqft Innovation Centre 5 (IC5) at the university’s flagship science park. IC5 is the latest in

Read More »

New Homes Bring Jobs Boost And Investment For Uttlesford

Uttlesford is set to receive a jobs and investment boost thanks to David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties. 148 homes will be built at Kingswood Place, the David Wilson Homes development on Stansted Road in Elsenham, underpinning 296 jobs. The housebuilder will also invest over half a million pounds in the

Read More »
Latest Issue
Issue 324 : Jan 2025

August 26, 2015

Carillion: Half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2015

• First-half financial performance in line with expectations – Strong first-half revenue growth reflected the exceptional volume of new contracts won in 2014 – Underlying profit and earnings grew strongly, despite substantial costs of mobilising new contracts and the expected effect of the margin in Construction services (excluding the Middle East) trending down towards a more normal level – Strong cash flow from operations with underlying operating cash conversion(1) of 101% (2014: 127%) – Net borrowing at 30 June 2015 of £199.6 million (31 December 2014: £177.3 million) reflected increases in non-operating cash flow items, including business acquisition costs and other investments – Balance sheet remains strong with over £1.3 billion of committed funding available to the Group • Strong, high-quality order book and growing pipeline of contract opportunities – New first-half orders plus probable orders of £1.0 billion (2014: £3.2 billion) reflected the expected pause in public sector contract awards due to the UK General Election – Total secure orders plus probable orders remained strong at £17.1 billion at 30 June 2015 (31 December 2014: £18.6 billion), after    removing £0.2 billion from the order book due to PPP equity sales – Revenue visibility(2) for 2015 of 96% at 30 June 2015 (2014: 93%) – Framework contracts worth up to £2.5 billion, which are not included in orders or probable orders – Pipeline of contract opportunities increased to £40.5 billion (31 December 2014: £39.2 billion) • Interim dividend increased by 2% to 5.7p (2014: 5.6p) • On track to deliver full-year revenue growth with profit and earnings in line with expectations Carillion Chairman, Philip Green, commented: “I am pleased to report that Carillion has continued to perform in line with expectations, which reflects the actions we took during the economic downturn to position our businesses in markets where we can now achieve revenue growth, consistent with our targets for margins and cash flow.  We have also made good progress with mobilising a number of major new contracts won in 2014.  Therefore, with a strong order book, a growing pipeline of contract opportunities and the prospect of market conditions continuing to improve, our expectations for 2015 and the medium term remain unchanged.”

Read More »

Hire Group HSS announce further losses

HSS Hire Group plc today announces results for the 26 week period ended 27 June 2015. Financial Highlights for HSS Hire Group plc Group revenue up 12.1% to £146.4m (H1 14: £130.6m), with organic growth of 10.6% Adjusted EBITDA (2) flat at £28.9m (H1 14: £28.9m), due to plc and new branch start-up costs Adjusted EBITA (3) down to £4.5m (H1 14: £11.3m) as investment in fleet led to higher depreciation Loss before tax of £14.1m (H1 14: £11.1m loss); reduced financing costs partly mitigate Adjusted EBITA movement Basic and diluted loss per share of 10.51p (H1 14: 19.61p) Underlying basic and diluted loss per share of 4.45p (H1 14: 6.03p) Interim dividend of 0.57p per share announced, payable in October 2015   Trading and Operational Highlights for HSS Hire Group plc Results in line with guidance issued in the pre-close trading update issued 29 June 2015 Continued to grow market share against ongoing variable market backdrop Local branch rollout continues: 27 new branches opened in H1 15 (H1 14: 8 branches) Growth in Key Accounts in line with estimated overall market growth rates of low to mid-single digits Strong growth in Specialist businesses, supplemented by acquisition of All Seasons Hire Hire fleet utilisation further increased as targeted fleet investment continues – Last Twelve Months to end H1 15: 48% and 73% for the Core and Specialist businesses respectively (LTM to end H1 14: 46% and 69% respectively)   Current Trading and Outlook Expect to continue growing market share through H2, despite variable market conditions – while July was in line with management expectations, trading has been softer in August 2015 revenue growth (full year) is now expected to be in the range 8 – 11% and earnings for the full year now expected to be below current market expectations Strategic progress continues, driving market share gains: o 39 new local branches opened year-to-date, on track to reach 50 in FY15, 14 already in progress for FY16 o Healthy pipeline of Key Account opportunities o Specialist businesses continue to grow strongly Plans to open a new National Distribution Centre in H1 2016 providing local branch fulfilment are well developed. This will step change our distribution network and drive further improvements in customer availability also allowing us to leverage our e-commerce platform more effectively Existing hub and spoke distribution network will focus exclusively on customer delivery and collection, further enhancing our service proposition Rebase of cost structure to reduce operational gearing, targeting cost savings of between £8m and £12m in FY16 and £1.5m and £3m in Q4 15 Capex investment will be below FY14, matched to expected customer demand Assessing further cost saving opportunities through refinancing in 2016   Commenting on the half year results and trading outlook, Chris Davies, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our results for the first half of 2015 are in line with our update at the end of June, with revenue growth of 12% and further gains in market share. However, as others have reported, trading continues to be unpredictable, and after a reasonable July, we have seen softer market conditions in August. This is obviously disappointing. As a result we are cautious on the outlook for the balance of the year and now expect full year earnings to be below current market expectations.   “Notwithstanding this, we are confident that our strategy is continuing to underpin our market share progress. We are seeing strong growth in the specialist businesses as a result of our investment. We are building our Key Accounts pipeline and our roll-out of local branches is progressing to plan with 50 openings this year.   “We are making good progress in our plans to open a new National Distribution Centre in H1 2016, which will further increase availability for customers. This will also enable us to fully exploit our market-leading online proposition. Furthermore, this development will allow our existing hub and spoke network to concentrate exclusively on customer deliveries and collections, enhancing service levels. It will also contribute to the rebasing of costs in the range of £8m and £12m in 2016 with between £1.5m and £3m being delivered in Q4 2015. Despite the softer August we remain confident in the medium and long term growth prospects for the business.”

Read More »

Suspended prison sentences for Torbay brothers’ poor gaswork

An unregistered gas fitter and his brother illegally installed a gas boiler and left it in a dangerous condition. Lee Butterworth, 43, who trades as English Riviera Building Company Ltd, contracted his brother Scott Butterworth, aged 41, to carry out the work at a house at Crabtree Close, Plymouth. The pair were prosecuted at Torquay Magistrates on Friday 21 August 2015 following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The court heard that Lee Butterworth was carrying out extensive works on the house which included installing a new gas boiler. Lee Butterworth arranged for his brother, Scott Butterworth, to install the gas boiler and gas pipework despite him not being a member of Gas Safe Register. After Scott Butterworth had fitted the gas boiler the homeowner then had a properly registered member of Gas Safe Register at his home to fit a gas cooker. That gas engineer found a gas leak on the gas pipework that Scott Butterworth had installed and classed what he found as ‘Immediately Dangerous’ as there was a real risk of a gas explosion. Lee Butterworth, of Oxley Close, Torquay, pleaded guilty to a single breach of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to 10 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 2 years and also ordered to undertake 150 hours unpaid community work and ordered to pay costs of £496.60. Scott Butterworth of Marine Drive, Paignton, pleaded guilty to two breaches of Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to 10 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 2 years for each offence, to run concurrently, and also ordered to undertake 150 hours unpaid community work and ordered to pay costs of £496.60. HSE Inspector Simon Jones, speaking after the hearing, said: “Scott Butterworth was not competent or registered to work on gas appliances and this was clearly shown when his work left a gas installation which had a gas leak. It is extremely fortunate that there was not a gas explosion as a result of Scott Butterworth’s work. ‘Lee Butterworth was in charge of this work and he should have ensured that anyone undertaking gaswork on his job was properly registered with Gas Safe Register. A simple check on the Gas Safe Register website would have alerted him to the fact that his brother was not registered to do gaswork but Lee Butterworth did not do this simple check but allowed his brother to undertake illegal gaswork. “The poor standard of work in this case could have had tragic consequences for the homeowners.”

Read More »

Seddon to deliver Keele Innovation Centre

Builder and developer Seddon has been appointed to deliver a £7 million state-of-the art innovation centre at Keele University Science and Innovation Park. The project will see the firm build the three storey, 65,336 sqft Innovation Centre 5 (IC5) at the university’s flagship science park. IC5 is the latest in a series of facilities at Keele University Science and Innovation Park, providing high quality office and workshop space for new and existing medical, technology and engineering enterprises. Seddon will build the shell and core of the IC5 building, along with three separate wings and associated external hard and soft landscaping. Work has already begun on the development and is expected to be completed by April 2016. Seddon secured the project after being appointed to the four year, £40 million construction framework for Staffordshire County Council. The framework has seen Seddon build four schools for the council since 2012, with the company also recently appointed to deliver the £5.5 million Veritas Academy primary school in Stafford. Staffordshire County Council’s economy leader Mark Winnington said: “We are pleased to see work on the new innovation centre get underway with Seddon. We took the decision to invest in the project four years ago so this is a real milestone. It will further Keele University Science and Business Park’s reputation internationally as a prime location for innovation in the medical, technology and engineering sectors. The expansion of the park will lead to an increase in the cluster of this type of industry in Staffordshire and we are confident this can continue to grow. The centre will add to our drive to attract high quality businesses and jobs and bring real long-term benefits to the county.” As part of the development for Keele University, Seddon will also work with local schools to provide health and safety talks for children, and to introduce what careers are available in construction. Eamonn Burns, Regional Director for the Midlands, said: “We are delighted to be developing this much needed office and industrial space for Keele University and the cutting edge science and technology companies that will find a home there. “This latest development builds on the range of exciting projects we have delivered for Staffordshire County Council over the past three years. “Our latest scheme in the Midlands builds on a great year for the company in the region that has seen Seddon bolster the team and expand with new offices in Birmingham.”  

Read More »

Planning permission granted for new Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange Railway Station

Worcestershire County Council’s Planning & Regulatory Committee has granted planning permission for the new Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange Railway Station. Groundwork for the £22 million station, which will link the Cotswolds and Birmingham to Bristol lines, is scheduled to begin by the spring of next year and open in autumn 2017. Worcestershire Parkway Railway Station will be situated just outside of Worcester City, close to Junction 7 of the M5 near Norton. The project is identified as a key priority through the county’s Strategic Economic Plan, which is aiming to create 25,000 new jobs in Worcestershire by 2025 along with boosting GVA (Gross Value Added) by almost £3billion. It also has the backing of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the area’s MPs, Network Rail and Train Operating Companies First Great Western and Arriva CrossCountry, all local authorities, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce and local businesses. Feedback from a public engagement exercise last year showed further support for the scheme. 91 per cent of people surveyed stated that they supported the plans, which aim to improve the county’s accessibility by rail, cut journey times to key locations including London and reduce road congestion. The station is comprised of a single platform on the Worcester to London line and two platforms on the Birmingham to Bristol line, together with a new station building including a booking office, toilets and shop. It will also have 500 car parking spaces (including disabled provision), bus stops, a taxi rank and a passenger drop-off area. The station will be fully accessible to less mobile visitors and those with disabilities. Last year, the Worcestershire LEP provisionally allocated £7.5million from the Worcestershire Local Growth Deal towards a new station. The remainder of the funds (around £14million) is expected to come from the County Council. The Council’s contribution will be recouped through car park and station access charges levied on the Train Operating Companies. Cllr John Smith OBE, Worcestershire County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “Today’s decision is great news for residents and businesses and means we can now start work on making the new Worcestershire Parkway Railway Station a reality. “The County Council recognises how important a reliable and robust transport infrastructure is to the local economy, which is why we are committed to continuing to invest in this key area through several major projects including Worcestershire Parkway. “As well as reducing journey times and congestion, the station will improve rail accessibility and connectivity with the rest of the country. In turn this will attract inward investment and create new jobs.” Gary Woodman, Executive Director of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We know the difference that improved rail connectivity will make to the County’s long term economy and therefore, we prioritised Worcestershire Parkway Railway Station for funding through our Growth Deal. “Today’s decision is great news for businesses. It was recently announced that Worcestershire was the third fastest growing economy in England between 2008 – 2013 and improving our transport networks is vital to ensure future growth. Stronger rail connectivity will complement many other infrastructure and transport improvements taking place in the coming years, provide businesses with better links to and from London and other cities and is yet another reason for companies to locate in the County. “We will now work to increase the awareness of the need for the redoubling of the Cotswold Line which alongside the new station would bring a number of benefits, for example faster journey times to London.”

Read More »

‘Learning Through Doing’ Ethos Inherent In Design of New University Technical College in Dagenham

Planning permission has been granted for a new University Technical College in Dagenham, ELUTec. This new type of education facility aims to inspire young people in East London and Essex to become the next generation of talented engineers and designers. Students will combine practical activities alongside theoretical studies through a new way of teaching. Their educational experiences will equip them with the skills, knowledge and personal qualities they need to have a successful career in industry. The college will be partially housed within the constraints of a former industrial unit to the north of the former Sanofi pharmaceuticals site. A new Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) structure provides a series of academic spaces over 3-storeys and a professional ‘business like’ frontage. The lecture theatre is positioned centrally in the main approach elevation where it projects from the main façade to provide a single point of orientation. The refurbished warehouses to the rear provide large volume, open plan environments akin to industry, allowing the students to experience industrial scale activity within the control and safety of an educational context. The college, designed by LSI Architects, will be constructed by Kier and is expected to open in September 2016. Rupert Kitchen, Partner at LSI Architects, commented that “the technically-rich project based ‘learning through doing’ ethos is inherent in the design, and as such the workshops will be ‘on show’ and visible on arrival with oblique views available from a Forum area.’

Read More »

New Homes Bring Jobs Boost And Investment For Uttlesford

Uttlesford is set to receive a jobs and investment boost thanks to David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties. 148 homes will be built at Kingswood Place, the David Wilson Homes development on Stansted Road in Elsenham, underpinning 296 jobs. The housebuilder will also invest over half a million pounds in the local area which will include £380,000 for a multi-purpose community building. £130,000 will be used to provide play areas while over £20,000 will be invested across primary education, early years and childcare. The broad mix of properties available at Kingswood Place will be designed to suit the needs of the local community and there will be two, three, four and five bedroom homes. Jason Colmer, Sales Director at David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties, said: “As well as building much needed homes for local people we will also provide skilled employment opportunities and we are delighted our work at Kingswood Place will underpin nearly 300 jobs. Our investment in the district will directly benefit local residents through facilities such as the multi-purpose community building.” Kingswood Place offers fantastic connections. It is just a 55 minute train journey to London Liverpool Street from the railway station in Elsenham while the M11 is within easy reach and Stansted Airport is four miles away. There is a wealth of amenities to be found in Elsenham, including a number of shops, and there are several towns and villages nearby, such as Bishop’s Stortford and Saffron Walden, which offer further choice. Information about the homes available to buy at Kingswood Place will be available later this year. The show homes are due to open in spring 2016 and the first homes will be ready for people to move into next summer. David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties has been awarded the maximum five star official rating from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) for the sixth year in a row. The company was awarded the rating after gaining fantastic feedback in the HBF customer satisfaction survey which involved more than 20,000 new homebuyers across the country answering questions about moving into their new homes.  

Read More »