Company rebounds from 2020 hit by covid

Profit at Aecom rebounded last year more than tripling to over £20m, according to its latest report and accounts.

It said 2020’s results had been impacted by the cost of covid-19 which saw it cut jobs, introduce voluntary pay cuts and leave office space it didn’t need any more. “These activities were not replicated in 2021,” it added.

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Aecom’s main UK office is in Aldgate on the edge of the City

As a result, the firm said pre-tax profit in the year to 1 October rose to £20.6m from £6m last time.

It said that it claimed £306,000 in furlough money from the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – down from £2.9m – while according to the firm’s accounts, which have now been filed at Companies House, Aecom paid £79,000 “in respect of aggregate compensation relating to directors of the company…relating to their retirement from office”.

It said that it had also used the government’s VAT deferral scheme and paid back the amount it owed before the year end.

The bulk of its business is from work in the UK with £363m coming from its home market with the remainder from Europe and the Middle East. Overall turnover was down 6% to £450m.