Edinburgh engineering consultancy Harley Haddow embarks on further growth after solid year

Harley Haddow, the Edinburgh-headquartered engineering consultancy, has closed the year with a strong financial performance and set out fresh growth plans.

The firm, which also has offices in Glasgow and London, said a surge in demand for design services had offset the impact of other projects delayed due to lockdown.

It reported steady turnover of £6.7 million in the year to April 30. An additional reduction in operational costs such as travel expenses created an annual profit of £850,392, with a margin of 12.6 per cent which was close to the previous year’s 13.8 per cent profit margin.

Shareholder equity increased 23 per cent to just over £1.9m.

Harley Haddow director Marc McLuskey.

Following a restructure in 2016, when the business moved from being a partnership to a limited company, Harley Haddow has seen strong growth and service demand, with revenue almost doubling over five years.

This year, 14 graduates and school leavers have been recruited across the business. Employee headcount has increased to 110 across the UK and the firm expects to create a number of additional positions this year.

Projects delivered recently have included the refurbishment of the former Frasers department store in Edinburgh into the Johnnie Walker visitor experience and the innovative Bodyheat project for Glasgow’s SWG3 – which captures body heat from gig-goers and dancers to help power the venue and minimise its carbon footprint.

Bosses have highlighted further potential growth around net zero and carbon reduction, while all aspects of the business including civil and structural engineering have performed strongly.

Director Marc McLuskey said: “We are cautiously optimistic about the market this year and will continue to forge ahead with our ambitious growth plans. Having successfully cemented our position UK wide as one the top multi-disciplinary engineering consultancies, our next stage is to continue to grow our brand and client base in the UK market.

“We’ve already built an established and growing presence in the London and wider English market, with a number of high-profile client projects successfully delivered including the Bafta building. Going forward we are focusing on talent acquisition and how we recruit, train and retain Britain’s top engineering talent.”

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