Beard Oxford upbeat about 2011 outlook

Beard is on track for a strong performance this year despite continuing gloomy figures from both the ONS on falling construction output and the latest Markit/CIPS Construction purchasing managers’ index. For the 8 months to August 2011, Beard’s Oxford office achieved a turnover of £18 million, up 12.5% on the previous year, with the team securing orders for new contracts worth over £27 million. 

Coupled with equally strong results from the Guildford and Swindon operations the company as a whole achieved revenues of £37 million for the same period, £5 million ahead of budget. Fuelled by a record last quarter and with £18 million of new orders won, the management team is forecasting a full year turnover in excess of £52 million against a budgeted £48 million at the start of January.

The performance of the Oxford-based team is due in part to their continuing strength with Oxford Colleges and the University with projects at the Ashmolean and the Museum of Natural History as well as the Examination Schools, Christ Church College, All Souls and Keble College. Beard’s traditional strength in the school sector has also contributed. The team completed Oxfordshire’s first carbon neutral school building for sixth form studies at the Cooper School in Bicester, is busy with other education projects for the County Council and further afield has won contracts at Pangbourne College and the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe.