Brayson said: "You have to take the opportunities when they arise 鈥� that's just they way it's worked out." He also hinted at potential targets on the horizon, saying: "We are getting something of a reputation among selling firms for doing deals."
Brayson said the Leeds-based engineering firm was looking to the Continent for business in Greece and eastern Europe in the longer term.
He said the aims of the acquisitions were to gain complementary skills or to balance existing skills within the group.
White Young Green bought Dublin-based environmental consultant KT Cullen for 拢2.6m, paying 拢1m in cash and 拢1.6m in ordinary shares. It also bought the London town planner Fisher Wilson for 拢900,000 in another cash and shares deal. Its final purchase was Irish engineer MCD Consult for 拢1.3m.
The firm also revealed strong figures for the year to 30 June, showing a pre-tax profit up 22% to 拢4m, on the back of a 15% increase in turnover to 拢53m.
We are getting something of a reputation among selling firms for doing deals
Richard Brayson, chief executive, White Young Green
More than 40% of White Young Green's business comes from the public sector and chairman Gareth Cooper said the company was well placed to benefit from government spending on transport infrastructure.
The company has won two big road contracts in Ireland and in Britain it has been appointed to the Highways Agency's panel of consultants, which will oversee major road developments in the Midlands in the next five years.
White Young Green said it expects most of its revenue to come from partnering arrangements in outsourcing and environmental engineering and cited a framework partnership deal with Defence Estates as an example of how it wished to develop.
The group is also benefiting from increased demand in the education, health and the environment sectors.
