Firm helping build HS2 railway sees construction income up 7%

Bouygues, which is helping build part of the HS2 railway in the Chilterns, saw profit bounce back to pre-pandemic levels last year after being ravaged by lockdowns in 2020.

The French giant, whose 拢400m turnover UK business recently completed a cancer centre in London for UCLH, said operating profit was 1% up on the 2019 number to 鈧1.7bn (拢1.4bn) 鈥 a 39% rise on last year鈥檚 figure of 鈧1.2bn (拢1bn).

Bouygues

Revenue at the firm鈥檚 biggest business, construction, was up 7% last year to 鈧27.9bn (拢23.3bn)

Revenue was 8% up last year to 鈧37.6bn (拢31.4bn), less than 1% off the 鈧37.9bn (拢37.6bn) it posted in 2019.

Bouygues, whose activities range from construction to media and telecoms, said income at its largest business, construction, increased 7% to 鈧27.9bn (拢23.3bn) with the rise driven by a recovering domestic sector which had been hit by a strict lockdown at the height of the pandemic. Overseas incomes was up 4%, it added.

The construction business posted an operating profit of 鈧825m (拢689m), more than double last year鈥檚 鈧388m (拢324m), but still 鈧85m (拢71m) lower than 2019鈥檚 figure.

But it said its 3% operating margin last year was just below the 3.1% it recorded in 2019 and nearly three times the number it posted in 2020.