Stride Treglown, the 13th largest architectural practice in the UK and the South West's biggest, experienced a sharp dip in profits last year. The Bristol-based practice, founded in 1953, has reported that profits fell from £654,000 to £198,000 in the year to December 31. Turnover also dropped from £15.5m to £14m in what it describes as "fairly dire conditions".
Having cut staff significantly last year from a peak of 276, it says in a report filed at Companies House: "We believe that, with current numbers, we are the right size and at over 220 staff, we are still one of the biggest consultancies in the country.
"We have continued to trade successfully and profitably despite fairly dire conditions within the construction industry."
The company, which has nine offices in the UK and Abu Dhabi, merged with Manchester-based EK Architects last year, a move that has led to two "substantial" contracts, with "further opportunities still to release".
It finished work as architect and interior designer on the prestigious £11.1m National Composites Centre in north Bristol at the end of June and has multiple awards including Architectural Practice of the Year in Wales where it opened a Cardiff office in January.
Meanwhile its two-year-old Abu Dhabi office is "producing a substantial fee income" and the practice is looking to expand its international business with an eye on developing countries.
It adds: "We operate in both public and private sectors in about equal proportions and by concentrating on areas that continue to offer opportunities we find ourselves facing an extremely busy 2011."
Chairman Bob Whittington summed up: "We are certainly doing better than last year but these are still tough trading conditions and last year was particularly difficult because of where the industry was. Many of our competitors are reporting trading losses whereas at least we made enough money to sponsor an orange gorilla for Bristol Zoo's 175th anniversary celebrations!"
The Stride Treglown gorilla stands at the end of Percival Road, Clifton and, according to Mr Whittington, is attacting "quite a lot of attention".
