A year of growth and high earnings for top 100 firms

摘要

For the industry as a whole, 2004 was a year of solid growth. The quoted giants and household names such as Balfour Beatty, Persimmon, Amec and Wimpey dominated the industry with huge pre-tax profit and 10—digit turnovers. And in the less risk-averse and more entrepreneurial world of private companies, staff were also rewarded. It was the year in which a 15% increase in collective turnover contrasted with a 0.6% drop in contractors' average operating margins to 2.2%. Indeed, heightened turnover accounted for an overall pre-tax profit among the top 100 firms of £4.1bn, up 13% on 2003. In general, salaries also reflected this upward trend. Persimmon and Wimpey have swapped places in terms of the most profitable housebuilder. Persimmon, widely believed to be on the lookout to buy companies that could catapult it into the FTSE 100, edged closer to the £500m profit mark at £459.6m.