星空传媒

Currie & Brown, the QS on the 拢400m redevelopment of the BBC鈥檚 London headquarters, is celebrating a rise in its profits for last year.

The company鈥檚 pre-tax profit for 2004 was 拢581,000 鈥� up roughly a quarter of a million on the previous year鈥檚 拢336,000.

A total of 99 new staff 鈥� mainly fee earners 鈥� were brought in last year, taking the head count from 556 at the end of 2003 to 655 by the end of last year. Group turnover also increased in 2004 to 拢42.8m, compared to 拢42.2m in 2003.

Despite these signs of fiscal health, Currie & Brown closed its Spanish operation last year, a move costing 拢115,000.

Currie & Brown put its rise in profits down to 鈥減articularly strong performance in Australia and the reduction of losses in the Far East and Europe鈥� in its annual report. It blamed its failure to do any better on falling fees in the US, a situation it was addressing with measures that would begin to impact in 2005.

The UK arm saw a 拢1.5m rise in turnover to 拢28.8m, up from 拢27.3m for 2003. The operation was restructured in 2004 for regional focus and the Falkirk and Edinburgh offices were merged.

Currie & Brown switched from partnership to limited company status in March 2001. Chief executive David Broomer, who was unavailable to comment on the latest results as QS News went to press, said at the time that the change had been 鈥渃omplex but worthwhile鈥�. For its first year as a limited company, the twelve months to 31 March 2002, the company posted a pre-tax profit of 拢1.4m and turnover of 拢38m. Broomer said of these results: 鈥淲e are reasonably happy with the profits. But it鈥檚 tough 鈥� whether we will make quite as much this year, I鈥檓 not so sure.鈥�

One of the firm鈥檚 highest profile projects outside the UK was a role on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site in 2002.