A Leicestershire-based interior fit-out and joinery specialist has opened its first office in London following the successful completion of its largest ever contract.
EE Smith Contracts has invested almost £500,000 in its new base at the Business Design Centre in Islington to build on its work on prestigious projects in the luxury residential and hotel sector.
Twenty-five staff including project managers, design managers and quantity surveyors are based at the new office which includes a meeting room to meet existing and prospective clients.
This decision follows the successful completion of the biggest contract in the company’s 127-year history at the Peninsula London Hotel on Hyde Park Corner where EE Smith Contracts fitted out the ballroom and meeting areas and the hotel and residential spa on two floors of the five-star hotel.
Their order book remains strong after securing a number of contracts for 2024-2025 including a multi-unit residential development in the heart of Mayfair, delivering public areas for one of the world’s most illustrious hotels, and providing bespoke joinery at two super mansions in the Home Counties.
Neil Bottrill, Managing Director of EE Smith Contracts, said although the majority of its employees will remain at its headquarters in Leicester, it made sense to open a London office.
He said: “The majority of our biggest contracts are driven from central London and the South East and opening a London office has been on our radar for quite a few years.
“With the confidence we have in the market, we decided to take a lease at the Business Design Centre and fit out a suite to give us a permanent base for our staff and a space to host clients and meet sub-contractors.
“The market at the moment is quite phenomenal with high-end residential and hotel markets remaining incredibly strong despite a challenging economic backdrop.
“The industry itself has had a difficult couple of years with the energy crisis, inflation on building products and interest rates putting pressure on developers’ build costs, but our pipeline remains strong.
“We are enjoying a continual stream of flagship opportunities, based on client satisfaction levels of previous works, and we’re confident we’re going to win more high-profile contracts in the near future.”
EE Smith Contracts has had a solid year in turbulent times with profit levels maintained despite macro-economic pressures reducing turnover for the year ending March 31, 2024.
Neil Simpson, Finance Director at EE Smith Contracts, said the Group is now debt free, which provides a secure base for the coming years.
He said: “In recent years, we had produced the highest annual revenues in our history and we have continued to produce healthy profit and a strong balance sheet with sufficient capital to deliver large prestigious schemes despite these challenging times which have led to some similar companies in our sector no longer being able to trade.”
EE Smith Contracts has also invested £100,000 in a dedicated learning centre at its HQ in Morris Road, Leicester, after recruiting seven further joinery apprentices this month.
