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London fit-out and refurbishment specialist BW: Workplace Experts says it is hoping to hit the 拢250m turnover mark in a couple of years鈥� time as the firm looks to cash in on the capital鈥檚 booming interiors market.

Based at Old Bailey, close to the criminal court of the same name and next door to Paternoster Square in the shadow of St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral, around half of the firm鈥檚 business is for projects which are below 拢3m.

But BW says it is increasingly being asked to compete against larger rivals such as ISG and Morgan Sindall-owned Overbury for bigger jobs.

Its sales and marketing director Anthony Brown said: 鈥淥n the very large projects, above 拢10m or so, consultants in the industry perceive that they would like more choice and so they鈥檙e pushing us very enthusiastically to be that choice.鈥�

Its roll call of larger schemes is growing, with the firm currently working on four jobs worth above 拢20m 鈥� two of which are for occupiers at developer Argent鈥檚 King鈥檚 Cross scheme 鈥� and it is expecting to start on site fitting out the English National Ballet鈥檚 new home at Ballymore鈥檚 City Island scheme in Canning Town, east London, by the summer.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have the demands of a public company [鈥�] that force you to do things that go against your values鈥�

Chief Executive Steve Elliott

It has also landed a spot on HM Revenue & Customs鈥� fit-out framework, as the taxman consolidates its estate into 13 regional centres including two in London and the South-east at Stratford and Croydon 鈥� with the office in the south London borough at One Ruskin Square, built by Lendlease, the first to open last September under its new strategy.

Founded by former Royal Marine Mark Richards and Craig Foster, who started out as a QS back in the early 1980s, BW emerged in 2000 after the pair left fit-out firm Bellwater. In summer 2017 Richards and Foster sold the business to its management, stepping down as directors 鈥� although they retain a minority 40% stake.

The deal gives the firm鈥檚 chief executive Steve Elliott and four directors 鈥� finance director Andrew Bradley, customer experience director Rob Frank, pre-construction director Colin Ogden and sales and marketing director Anthony Brown 鈥� a majority shareholding of 60%.

Elliott said there had always been 鈥渁 very informal agreement鈥� for the directors to acquire the business and it 鈥済ot to the point where they [Foster and Richards] wanted to exit鈥�, adding that it was a 鈥済olden opportunity鈥� to own and develop the firm.

This includes hiking revenue from an expected 拢150m last year by another 拢100m by 2020. Its financial year closed at the end of last month and is expected to see it post a pre-tax profit of 拢4m when its results are published later this spring.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have the demands of a public company or hedge fund that force you to do things that go against your values. We could grow the business to 拢300m or 拢400m but that鈥檚 not where we want to be. We鈥檙e comfortable at a quarter of a billion,鈥� added Elliott, who spent nearly a quarter of a century at Morgan Sindall.

In its most recent published full year results, the 200-strong firm posted a 拢100m turnover and 拢2m pre-tax profit for the 15 months ending December 2016.

But Brown said it wants more and added: 鈥淲e鈥檙e keen to build the business to a size where we can roll with whatever鈥檚 going on in the industry.

鈥淚f the market tails off a bit over the next few years, we can still afford to keep the company sustainable, keep the people we鈥檝e recruited, and if we take a little less profit we take a little less profit. We haven鈥檛 got the City breathing down our neck.鈥�

The firm, which specialises in office and higher education fit-outs, says it has no plans to break out of its London and South-east stronghold into other parts of the UK.

Instead, the firm is looking overseas to borrow ideas and increase business, announcing last August that it had linked up with US turnkey construction company HITT for a global alliance.

BW had already struck a similar deal with Australian fit-out firm Shape the year before. Elliott said the aim of the alliances is to share clients, as well as innovation and development and to develop employees.