Wirral facilities management firm Kimpton sees fall in revenues and profits after ‘exceptional’ previous year but delivers upbeat message on strong project pipeline. Tony McDonough reports

Facilities management firm Kimpton delivers an upbeat message about its prospects despite a fall in annual revenues and pre-tax profits.

Based in Bromborough in Wirral, Kimpton has facilities management contracts with multiple sites in Liverpool totalling more than 1m sq ft. These include St Nicholas’ Church, the M&S Bank Arena, Exhibition Centre Liverpool and The Capital Building.

It specialises in mechanical and engineering services, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, commercial fit-out and service and facilities management.

In February LBN revealed the firm had secured a deal to provide maintenance services at Liverpool’s West Tower. It will maintain the heating and air conditioning systems within the 40-storey building which comprises apartments and the Panoramic 34 restaurant.

Kimpton was founded by Eric Kimpton 61 years ago. In 2001 his son Richard Kimpton took over the business, also in a management buyout (MBO) and oversaw significant growth.

In November 2023 the Kimptons sold a controlling stake in the business to Tim Davis, who was formerly the firm’s general manager, and Linzi Kelly. The value of the deal was undisclosed.

Now the firm has filed its annual accounts on Companies House for the 12-month period to September 30, 2024, prior to the latest MBO. They show a fall in revenues from £25.8m in 2023 to £24.4m.

Pre-tax profits are also down from £1.8m in 2023 to just over £1m. However, writing in the accounts Tim Davis points out the previous year had been an “exceptional” one thanks to a number of significant projects. This latest fiscal year, he added, had been one of “prudence in consolidating the team. 

He said: “A handful of anticipated pipeline projects were impacted by the new Gateway regime brought in under the Building Safety Act which, taken together with macro economic policy uncertainties affecting short-term views of investors generally, has delayed some projects.

“Overall demand for the company’s services remains good, however, and these projects are beginning to come forward in the year ahead. The directors have sound reasons to be positive about the outlook and consider the business as well positioned to deliver on its promises and grow.”

Kimpton’s pipeline of work remains strong, with live residential development schemes across the UK in locations including London, Telford and Cardiff, while the firm has also been appointed on several projects closer to home.

Tim added that “supply chain volatility” had eased over the period but that there had been “some hangover from the period of high inflation experienced across the economy where contracts have been previously committed at fixed prices”.

“This inevitably affected net profitability on some long-term projects but the diversity of works undertaken by the business has largely mitigated the impact of those,” he explained.”

During the accounting period Kimpton employed 99 people. There are currently 17 apprentices in training across the business in various roles. The accounts also show dividends of £90,000.