He said: "All in all, we have quite a large team for housing – it's one of our major focuses. I see the target as eminently do-able given the growth in the sector as a whole." The social housing operation made up 20% of the group's £457m turnover in 2000. Turnover stood at £446m in 1999. Pre-tax profit was up 15% to £8.1m for the year to 31 December 2000.
Cleaver said the group was pumping investment into its maintenance services division, putting cash into new depots and IT systems. He added that the group was focusing on repair and maintenance for giant clients such as Defence Estates, BT and BAA.
He said: "By adopting a more focused approach, we believe we can become market leaders in each of our chosen areas. We shall see greater integration of all our resources and activities over the coming years." The group's construction services division made a net profit exceeding 2%.
