23/05/2011

Readymix Facing Major Losses

Irish concrete specialist Readymix has announced a trading loss of €4.2m before taxes for the first quarter of 2011, compared to a loss of €3.8m the same time last year.

It expects an operating loss (before exceptional items) of approximately €15m for the full year 2010 ending on December 31st. This compares to an operating loss (before exceptional items) of approximately €11m for 2009.

Total losses before tax are expected to be approximately €20m compared to a loss of approximately €14m for 2009.

Net exceptional items of approximately €4.5m arise in respect of additional costs associated with redundancies and impairment charges related to the carrying value of certain assets on the balance sheet which are partly offset by profits from the sale of properties.

During 2010, revenues are expected to be down by 36% compared to 2009 as sales volumes have fallen significantly in all of the Group's product lines, reflecting the ongoing difficulties in the construction sector.

Revenues have fallen by 27% compared to the first quarter of 2010 - mainly due to a drop in volumes across all products.

"In an exceptionally competitive market, prices across a number of our key product lines also continue to come under increasing pressure," the company stated.

However, Readymix said that for the rest 2011, it expects revenues to continue to fall due to continuing poor volumes and ongoing pressure on prices in all of its product markets.

The firm is part of Cemex Ireland - founded in Dublin in 1965 - and is now one of the largest and most successful building materials groups in Ireland.

Carvill Fails

There's bad news too in Northern Ireland with the Carvill Group going into administration.

In a statement the group said the Carvill Group Limited, Carvill (Scotland) Limited and Carvill (Newcastle) Limited would all be affected.

The Carvill Group was behind the proposed redevelopment of the Sirocco Works site in east Belfast.

It blamed the "adverse economic climate" for the move.

The problems are widespread with a Lincolnshire concrete business also calling in administrators after the firm was hit by the effects of the severe winter weather.

C & G Concrete Limited, based in Stamford, employs about 120 workers.

The firm supplies the construction industry with ready-mixed concrete and mortar and has been operating for more than 50 years.

It has three quarries and plants in Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire.

Sales at the firm were hit during the winter as concrete laying is not possible in severe weather conditions, it said.

(BMcC/GK)

Related Northern Ireland Business News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

03 June 2011
Camden Group Warns Of Job Losses
A Co Antrim based company which manufactures PVC doors, windows and conservatories has warned it may be forced to make redundancies. UK and Ireland based Camden Group has notified all 500 employees by mail. Only three months ago the group boasted a £16m investment in R&D with the intention of creating 225 new roles.
23 May 2011
Carvill Group Enters Administration
Building firm Carvill Group is to place three of its companies into administration. In a statement the company said the Carvill Group Limited, Carvill (Scotland) Limited and Carvill (Newcastle) Limited would all be affected.
10 June 2004
Sellafield owners post losses of £303m
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL), the company which runs Sellafield, has posted losses of £303 million for the year, despite seeing turnover rise by 5%. Losses were up by over £40 million on last year's mark due to the impact of the Mox plant start-up and some increased costs through nuclear clean-up liabilities at Sellafield, the company said.
29 May 2002
Vodafone report largest ever losses in UK
Vodafone Group has reported one of the biggest losses in UK business history with the posting of a loss in excess of £16 billion for the last financial year. The figure includes a £20 billion writedown and other charges as part of a series of acquisition rounds. However, cashflow at £2.
15 December 2015
Energy And Manufacturing Advisory Group Established
An Energy and Manufacturing Advisory Group has been established to find a solution to combat energy costs within the manufacturing sector. Enterprise Minister Jonathon Bell said a strong, flourishing manufacturing sector was at the centre of the Executive's vision for the Northern Ireland economy.