Directors at architects of a number of leading major North East office schemes have hailed the firm’s successful growth, despite ongoing challenges thrown up by the UK’s political and economic uncertainty.
Newcastle-based Ryder has designed Riverside Sunderland’s landmark Maker and Faber offices as well as HMRC’s plans for a flagship base in the heart of Newcastle, among a range of projects around the UK and overseas – schemes which have triggered a jump in sales. Latest accounts for the Cooper Studios business, covering the year ended April 30 2022, show turnover grew by 28% to £30.9m, generating pre tax profits of £4.94m, up 49% from £3.3m.
Operating profit also increased significantly, from £3.25m to £5.15m. Dividends of £918,002 were paid to shareholders in the year. In the summer, Ryder acquired London-based Doone Silver Kerr, a deal which it said has added to the breadth of specialist expertise in the hospitality, office and residential sectors.
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Overall, Ryder has grown its workforce from 317 a year ago to 342 people. It said that projects are spread throughout the UK and as far afield as Melbourne and Vancouver, and the BUPA Asia headquarters in Hong Kong.
In the UK, significant projects are being carried for the University of Liverpool; the Fulton Road residential development of around 850 apartments in London; The Factory in Manchester; Paisley Grammar School Community Campus in Scotland; and the mixed use redevelopment of the former Tetley Brewery site in Leeds – Aire Park.
Closer to home on the North East Ryder has been enlisted to help create new facilities for Fujifilm on Teesside, Durham University Business School and several schools for Northumberland Council.
Managing partner Mark Thompson said: “Turnover for the current financial year is difficult to forecast given the ongoing impact of the war in Ukraine on construction material inflation. However, we continue to focus on delivering an excellent client experience which was endorsed with an overall client satisfaction rating of over 90% in our latest client survey.
“Our people bring the very best in knowledge, creative thinking and capability. We believe that attracting and retaining talented people is a key measure of our growth and ongoing success and our ethos promotes empowerment, creativity and teamwork. We are extremely proud to once again be recognised as one of the leading employers in the UK through our listing in the Best Companies to Work For, ranking number one in the construction sector for companies of our size.
“Many of our projects were recognised with design awards last year and we were also, once again, a finalist for the UK Architectural Practice of the Year in the prestigious Building awards 2022.
“The directors are delighted with the financial performance in the period which has enabled us to achieve the profit share target for our people. We also exceeded our community impact target which supports charities and good causes in the communities in which we work.”
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