Speedy back in the black on rising utility sector demand

Aaron Morby 11 years ago
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Speedy Hire has returned to profit on the back of rising demand in the regulated utility sectors and greater involvement in the industrial sector.

The firm achieved pre-tax profits of £4.7m for the half year after a £2.3m loss last year. Turnover increased 6.4% to £169.1m.

The UK and Ireland business generated underlying growth in revenue of 4.2%, while still investing to support clients in key water, waste, energy and transport markets where demand continued to grow.

Speedy also reported increasing activity in the industrial where it was involved in several shut-downs and outage programmes during the period.

Ishbel Macpherson, Chairman, said: “Against a backdrop of challenging market conditions Speedy has further increased revenue and improved operating margins and returns.

“Speedy continued to implement efficiency initiatives and reduce costs across the business, whilst still investing to support key customers and areas of growth in both the UK and International divisions.

The board’s focus remains on generating high quality, secure and transparent earnings across the Group, from markets where capital investment is more certain. The balance sheet remains strong and we are improving the overall return on capital employed.”

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