NEWSBRIEF

weeks group profits drop

Consulting engineer Weeks Group's full year pre-tax profit dipped to £670,000 on a turnover of £16 million, compared with a figure of £810,000 on a £13 million turnover for the previous year. Profits were hit by the cost of merging the Lawrence Hewitt Partnership. "As a multi-disciplinary consultancy, we are well positioned in a market increasingly favouring single-source consultancies," said Richard Pugh, chief executive. The Polish office CMW Polska increased its turnover by 140 per cent on a variety of road schemes, including the A4 motorway.

p&O appoints bovis finance director

Simon Leathes has been appointed finance director of Bovis ahead of its flotation by conglomerate P&O, its current parent. Leathes was previously Hambros chief executive and oversaw its demerger. Sir Frank Lampl, Bovis chairman, said Leathes' experience would be "invaluable in the run-up to flotation and beyond."

south-east boosts ward holdings

Interim results for housebuilder Ward Holdings showed turnover up 50 per cent at £19 million, with pre-tax profit more than doubling to £2.2 million. Dennis Ward, chairman, said the South-east property market is beginning to show "strong signs of growth."

jv to reinvigorate manchester

Amec and Crosby (part of the Berkeley group) have formed a joint venture called Ician to deliver urban renaissance. Manchester City Council has appointed Ician to breathe life into a 2.4ha brownfield site in the northern quarter of the city centre. The scheme is worth £50 million.

isg says performance ahead of target

ISG, the AIM-quoted occupancy services company, says that trading performance is ahead of target. "Results for the year ending 30 June will exceed market expectations," said a trading update issued by ISG this week. Tony Clarke has been appointed director of innovation and continuous improvement of Interior, an ISG subsidiary.

cowlin turns in £480,000 profits

Privately-owned regional contractor Cowlin Construction has announced a pre-tax profit of £480,000 on a turnover of £47 million. Nick Higgs, managing director, said: "The company has been successful in securing larger value contracts. The policy of developing long-term relationships with clients and consultants is bearing fruit."