A “buoyant” whisky industry and school projects in Aberdeen are helping to drive growth at construction group Galliford Try.
Chief executive Bill Hocking has highlighted Gordon & MacPhail (G&M)’s new distillery just outside Grantown among projects keeping group subsidiary Morrison Construction busy north of the border.
He also cited work on new schools in Aberdeen – Torry Primary School and Community Hub, with a budget of £28.1 million, and the £17 million Countesswells school and nursery development.
Both are being built through a tie-up between Morrison and Aberdeen-based public-private partnership Hub North Scotland.
G&M’s £20m new distillery, The Cairn, has its official opening next month.
Mr Hocking said: “It’s been a very good year for Morrison. They’ve done a fantastic job in different parts of the country.
“We see no diminution in the pipeline (of future work). We certainly have a robust order book to sustain us going forward.”
He added: “We’re doing quite a bit in the whisky industry at the moment, working with Gordon & MacPhail and Diageo, and last year with The Macallan. It’s a buoyant industry just now.”
Galliford Try has evolved through the decades to become one of the UK’s leading construction groups.
It acquired Morrison, which has been around since the Second World War, in 2006 for about £42 million.
The Scottish business is named after the Morrison family who founded it, in Tain, in 1948.
It was previously part of utility giant Anglian Water Group.
Morrison’s work on schools and distilleries in the north and north-east is part of Galliford Try’s “sustainable growth strategy”.
The approach aligns financial objectives with sustainability aspirations to deliver high-“quality buildings and infrastructure in a socially responsible way”.
Mr Hocking said the group was also benefiting from rigorous risk management.
Galliford Try has maintained a “disciplined approach to project selection” in recent years after being stung by cost over-runs and delays for the Aberdeen city bypass road.
Profits surged in 2021-22
The company’s boss was speaking to The Press and Journal after annual results showed a big jump in profits.
Pre-tax profits before one-offs surged 68% to £19.1m during the year to June 30, on revenue that was up by £112m at £1.24 billion.
Mr Hocking said: “Our commitment to robust risk management, careful contract selection and operational excellence continues to underpin our performance and prospects.”
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