Jobs at risk as architect Keppie closes Scots offices

Keppie Design is set to shed more than 15 per cent of its staff in a bid to cut overheads with the closure of three of its offices, including two in Scotland.

Peter Moran was promoted to managing director of Keppie Design in March. Picture: Contributed

The architectural practice, which once counted Charles Rennie Mackintosh as a principal, said consultations with 25 employees in Aberdeen, Perth and Manchester are due to conclude on 15 June.

A spokesman for the company emphasised that staff in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness were not affected by the closures.

“Keppie Design has a great heritage, a very talented team who are involved in lots of exciting projects, and have a bright future ahead,” the spokesman said.

“The proposal to close these three offices would dramatically reduce our overheads, allowing us to protect the business for the future and move forward from a position of increased stability.”

The firm, which promoted Glasgow-based Peter Moran to managing director in March, reported a pre-tax loss of £528,000 for the year to July 2015 on turnover down 4 per cent at £7.52 million. In accounts filed with Companies House, Keppie noted that the decision in 2015 to maintain staffing levels at around 150 people had a “negative effect on both profitability and cashflow”.

Keppie was last year appointed to design the new £333m Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), which is due for completion in late 2018. The closure of the Aberdeen office is not expected to affect that project, which was already being run out of Glasgow.