By Scott Wright
AN EDINBURGH-based interior fit-out and refurbishment specialist has opened a new office in Glasgow to capitalise on the continuing growth it has seen throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
The expansion by MPACT Group follows a series of contact wins, which include the refurbishment of the Skills Development Scotland office on Glasgow’s George Square, and the Edinburgh headquarters of The Glenmorangie Whisky Company on Leith Street.
The firm, established by joint managing directors Matthew Wright and Paul Wringe in 2007, has traditionally grown turnover by £1 million a year.
However, it expects to lift turnover by £2m in its current financial year, as it eyes an ambitious target to double in size in the next five years.
The company, which also carries out mechanical and electrical work, is planning to increase its headcount. Staff numbers currently stand at 75, after recently adding seven new roles.
Gary Scott, the firm’s newly appointed operations director, heads the new office in Glasgow, based at 144 West Regent Street.
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Mr Wringe told The Herald it was important to have a presence in the city to realise its ambitions for growth in the west of Scotland, revealing that the pandemic had not interrupted its plans.
He said: “As an Edinburgh company, we know that to get work in Glasgow we would have to have a Glasgow office. We brought in Gary Scott, who came from JR Group, an experienced guy. It has been fantastic [and] given us a new lease of life. He is working on a big project for Skills Development Scotland [on George Square] that has been brilliant for us.
“Turnover has gone up and profits are sitting there, which is great.”
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Mr Wringe said MPACT is on track to grow turnover by £2m to £12.5m by the end of March, boosted by the opening of the Glasgow office.
When asked how the company has been able to expand in such difficult economic times, he highlighted past experience, noting that its first trading year in 2008 ended with the UK mired in recession.
Mr Wringe said: “We worked through that as a smaller company, and grew right through the whole of that period. It is all about having good clients, and servicing these clients properly.”
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He added: “Over the years we have established a really good client base, who trust us. That is one of the biggest things for us – great clients come back to us.”
MPACT’s order book includes a major public sector contract in Dundee, and a serviced accommodation development by The Spires in Cardiff.
Mr Wringe said the firm has a “brilliant” pipeline of work. “We have unlocked a lot of potential clients.”
He added: “There is a lot of positivity.”
The company continued to operate throughout the first lockdown last year, given the “essential” nature of some of the projects. While around one-third of its site staff continued to work, all office staff carried on as normal.
Mr Wringe said: “Everyone was set up to work from home. That really helped. We were still invoicing and pricing. That was the big thing. When folk could not get prices, they were coming to us, so I think that helped as well. Yes, it was hard work, but we were still estimating, which means that all the jobs [we priced] are coming to fruition.”
He added: “We have invested a lot of money, but we will get that back.”
Joint managing director Matthew Wright, said: “MPACT was launched during a recession so as a business, one of our key strengths is in finding direction during challenging times, and we now see the time being right to launch in the west of Scotland.
“Our Glasgow office, designed by Form Design Consultants, reflects our company’s culture and personality, and will be the base from which we grow our team and client base.
“Gary Scott, who will head our Glasgow office, brings several years of valuable sector-wide experience to the team.”
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