Beard posts record £165m turnover

Regional contractor Beard has grown its turnover to £165m.

The Swindon-based firm, which operates across the South of England, posted a 15 per cent hike in revenue for the 2022 calendar year. This beat its previous high of £159m in 2019, with 45 projects completed last year.

Beard said “a release of pent-up demand” following the pandemic had contributed to its growth.

However, the group’s pre-tax profit was down 17 per cent to £3.5m.

The firm also celebrated a “significant reduction” in slips, trips and falls on its sites as well as a drop in overall accidents.

Finance director Fraser Johns said: “We maintained focus on our core objective – ensuring the safety of all those who came into contact with our activities.”

Elsewhere, Beard reported a 5 per cent cut in carbon reduction per £1m turnover compared with its pre-pandemic levels.

“We remain focused on reducing our carbon emissions and are committed to further investment and strategies this year,” said Johns.

The contractor will install solar panels at its Guildford office, put in electric vehicle charge points throughout its estate and create an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for all staff in 2023, it pledged.

Prestigious projects underway by the firm include a community tennis centre clubhouse in south-west London for the All England Lawn Tennis Club and a restoration of the library at the University of Oxford’s Exeter College.