Wates Interiors starts 2009 with £30m of wins

Wates Interiors has revealed that it has enjoyed a bright start to 2009, with a total of £30m in contract wins since the start of the year.

The fit-out and refurbishment arm of Wates had a tough 2008, resulting in around 30 redundancies in its London and Manchester offices, and a further 48 in its Living Space North-East business.

The work includes a £3m contract to modify part of accountancy firm Ernst & Young’s London headquarters in SE1, a project which involves a bespoke steel staircase designed by architects Broadway Malyan.

The division has also netted around £21m of contracts in the public sector this year, which include appointments under the Home Office Framework for the refurbishment of government offices.

Wates Interiors business development manager Christine Baltas told CJ: “We had a good end to last year and have had a very strong start to 2009. One of the key projects is with Ernst & Young, which is a new client for us, so we are very pleased.”