Consultant kicks off efficiency review after closing North Associates business and cost of legacy contracts sends firm into the red
Consultant WYG plunged into the red last year as the cost of closing its North Associates land and property business and increased provisions for legacy contracts took their toll.
North Associates was bought in 2015 but was hit by delays to the planned Moorside nuclear power station near Sellafield on the Cumbrian coast.
WYG said the cost of shutting the Carlisle-based business was 拢3.2m while its bill for legacy contracts went up 拢2.5m.
The firm, which worked on the recently opened Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, had warned twice in 2017 that annual profits would be 鈥渟ubstantially below market expectations鈥�.
Reporting a pre-tax loss of 拢5.3m in the year to March 2018 on turnover up 1.5% to 拢153m, WYG announced a 鈥渨ide-ranging鈥� efficiency review to cut costs.
WYG said it was stripping out management layers with chief executive Douglas McCormick (pictured) adding the business was 鈥渢aking the correct steps to return to growth鈥�.
Project delays in the first half failed to dent the group鈥檚 consulting operation, which saw revenues rise 3% to 拢119m, with growth in almost all its main markets 鈥渁lbeit not quite enough to absorb all of the impact of the issues that affected the business in the first half鈥�, the firm added.
But WYG鈥檚 international business took a 3% revenue hit, falling to 拢35.1m and the firm said it was closing its non-core Bulgarian and Romanian operations.
Operating expenses at the firm rose 6% to 拢158m.
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