John Doyle performance down

The figure of £168m was down on £178.1m for the previous year, which saw a management buyout in May.

Comparable pre-tax profit was down by a third from £2.4m to £1.6m after what Richard Clancy, its finance director, said had been “an exceptionally good 2006”.

He said: “We are not yet seeing the credit crunch have any major impact on schemes.”

Although Clancy said the company, which has been renamed Doyle Group, was aiming to exceed £200m turnover in 2008, he conceded there was more uncertainty beyond then.

“There’s a nervousness but it’s the same for everyone. The worry is that the larger schemes will be postponed.”