Income slips 7% but architect says impact of lockdown was 鈥榤inimal鈥�

Make Architects saw turnover slip 7% last year but the practice behind the One Leadenhall building being built by Multiplex played down the impact of the pandemic on its numbers.

The firm said income fell to 拢17.9m last year, although pre-tax profit increased fourfold to 拢467,000.

A report accompanying the accounts signed off by Make director Jason Parker, said the practice had 鈥渇ared well鈥� during 2020 and added the impact of covid-19 had been 鈥渕inimal鈥�.

Make Architects' 80 Charlotte Street mixed-use project, which completed last year

Source: Jack Hobhouse

Make Architects鈥� 80 Charlotte Street mixed-use project for Derwent London was completed by Multiplex last year

鈥淎lthough revenue was lower than 2019, several new projects were won during and after lockdown in the UK and existing projects continued as normal,鈥� it said.

But Parker added that revenue for the first six months of 2021 had been 鈥渟lightly lower鈥� than that in the 2020 reporting period.

鈥淎t the start of the year there were a few redundancies in Australia and a couple of staff on furlough but we now expect revenue for 2021 to be close to 2020,鈥� he said.

The accounts revealed Make received 拢274,000 in furlough money from the government鈥檚 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme last year.

On a region-by-region basis, Make鈥檚 UK turnover increased 5% compared with 2019. It said the rise was due to commercial sector projects won before and during lockdown.

Asia revenue was up 1.6% to 拢1.8m but Australia income plummeted by almost 70% to 拢971,000 and turnover in Europe was down by nearly 90% to 拢24,000.

Make said the slump in Australian revenue was due to projects being put on hold because of covid-19鈥檚 impact on the retail sector.

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