National Chartered Surveyor firm Bruton Knowles has smashed its target forecasts by posting record results for its 2020 financial year.
Bruton Knowles has reported an increase in turnover to £13.5 million, with profits more than doubling to 30 June 2021 compared with the previous year.
James Bailey, Managing Partner at Bruton Knowles, said: “This uplift in sales and profits, achieved through one of the most tumultuous years both for the business and the wider industry, has been achieved through the introduction of new innovations and a commitment from the team that has been extraordinary.
“Business growth has certainly been part of that story, which in turn has been driven by a hugely successful restructuring programme and the launch of our National Teams – which give us a single team, with single management and a single focus.
Anne Williams, Finance Partner at Bruton Knowles, added: “We have an accelerated programme of smarter working practices and efficiencies backed by investment in new technology across the business which has had a discernible impact, including attracting new talent to the business, but which won’t be fully realised until next year.
“The work we have done to streamline processes, speed up delivery and provide highly specialist advice is helping our clients achieve their own goals more quickly and efficiently.
“Our dedication to providing the best advice in the most cost-effective manner has been pivotal to our success over what has been an incredibly tough year. In short, we’ve just got much better at what we do.”
The introduction of the Bruton Knowles National Teams, Utilities & Infrastructure followed by Valuations, has been significant for the business and there are plans to launch more over the coming year. The first is the National Commercial Team, which will deliver leading management and professional services to its growing commercial client base.
It will be headed up by Partner, Dorian Wragg, who has embraced a comprehensive, holistic approach to the provision of its professional and management services by drawing on the expertise of Bruton Knowles’ network of 11 offices.
Bruton Knowles’ ambition is to create a one-stop-shop for clients, with the business providing everything from:
- Broadband communication management
- Energy procurement strategies
- Renewables and smart efficiencies
This will streamline the process by providing one point of contact to deliver an entire project to the exacting standards required by each client.
Dorian explained the rationale for the launch of the National Commercial Team: “The market is shifting and clients are now demanding more from managing agents including the need for expert strategic advice, covering everything from service charges, tenancy agreements, building surveying, repair and maintenance requirements from one agent, rather than having to deal with multiple businesses – which is time consuming and can be highly frustrating as so much information has to be collated from so many different sources.
“Our new, streamlined approach will be highly beneficial for both landlords and tenants, by simplifying the process of investing and renting.
“Following this new strategy will allow us to bring in new business lines, such as energy management and smart buildings, as well as broadband communication management and services. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a part of this growing team as we expand into national territory.”
Anne Williams added: “Our next challenge is recruitment. We are recruiting hard as a business right now to fill vacancies at all levels and we‘re on target to increase staff numbers by up to 15%, which would be higher than pre-pandemic levels.”
Bruton Knowles is an independently-owned chartered surveyor firm with 10 locations across the UK. The team is highly knowledgeable in sale and purchase, valuation, leasing and strategy, providing specialist insightful advice across commercial property, infrastructure, utilities, public sector and social housing sectors, helping clients to achieve more from land and property.