Buoyant Mitie looks set to clean up come the public-sector cutbacks

By The Newsroom
Published 17th May 2010, 20:48 BST
Updated 17th May 2010, 20:55 BST
OUTSOURCING and cleaning specialist Mitie highlighted its resistance to recession yesterday as it booked a double-digit revenue rise and said its bid pipeline had reached "unprecedented" levels.

• Celtic Park is one of the contracts that helped Mitie to a full-year pre-tax profits scoreline of 91.7m. Picture: SNS

The firm, whose Scottish client base includes Standard Life, Edinburgh University and Celtic FC, is likely to be one of the main beneficiaries of spending cuts in the public sector.

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Unveiling a 13 per cent increase in annual revenues to 1.72 billion, chief executive Ruby McGregor-Smith said the firm expected increased government outsourcing and a low- carbon drive among clients to support growth.

Mitie, which employs about 6,500 in Scotland out of a UK-wide headcount that tops 56,000, has seen its long-term order book swell to 6.4bn from 4.9bn a year earlier.

"It's never just about cost cutting," noted McGregor-Smith. "We are here to increase efficiencies but also improve services. Healthcare, education and central government departments, for example, have really got to improve their energy ratings and hit their carbon reduction commitments.