wilkinson

Member Article

Wilkinson Buoyant after a Flood of New Work

Wilkinson Maintenance, a Durham company specialising in the reactive maintenance and refurbishment of commercial properties, is on track to break its record turnover of £5 million in 2011/12 after demand for its services increased as a result of the recent floods.

The company has seen a twenty per cent increase in demand for its services after a range of businesses including pubs, retail outlets and schools were badly affected by the poor weather that hit our region.

Wilkinson Maintenance reported a turnover of around £2.5m before it started to restructure its business two years ago. As a direct result of the re-structure, which involved a move to a larger site at Belmont Industrial Estate, the company broke it

s £4.5m turnover target by £500,000 in the financial year to the end of May.

As part of its growth plan, which includes a strong commitment to apprenticeships, the company has expanded its workforce from 29 to 43 over the past eighteen months.

Stuart Anderson, Managing Director of Wilkinson Maintenance, explained: “We’re obviously delighted that the business is doing so well, albeit in the face of adversity. Our workload has increased by twenty per cent over the second quarter of this year when the wet and windy weather was at its worst.

“Call outs and extensive maintenance work have included jobs on behalf of pubs and other premises that have been badly affected by flooding. Complete refits entailing new bars, toilets, re-wiring and new carpets, are common, with some of our work made up of repeat visits to the same premises.”

Stuart added: “We decided about two years ago that we wanted to restructure and diversify, and instead of waiting for the work to come to us, we needed to go out and find it.

“We’re pleased at the remarkable progress we’ve made in such a short space of time, but we’re not resting on our laurels. It’s partly due to the fact we diversified, and partly because we fit our service around what the businesses need.”

Wilkinson Maintenance’s North East based clients include Norchem Group for whom it handles maintenance work for its 30 pharmacies in the region, while the company has also recently won a contract with North East Lettings whose offices are in Team Valley. North East Lettings manages a portfolio of over 500 properties nationally. Other blue chip clients include Enterprise Inns, Punch Taverns, JD Wetherspoons, Integrated Dental Holdings and Volvo UK.

For more than a decade there has been at least one serious flood a year in the UK, and experts predict the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels could increase the intensity and frequency of inland, coastal, and flash floods over the coming years. The changes have led Wilkinson Maintenance to adapt to cope with these peaks in workload.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Recognition PR Business Team .

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