Pandemic sends RIBA president鈥檚 firm tumbling to 拢500k loss

AHMM nosedived into the red last year as the impact of the covid-19 pandemic took an axe to its bottom line.

The practice of RIBA president Simon Allford slumped to a pre-tax loss of nearly 拢504,000 in the year to March 2021 from a 拢6m profit last time.

The architect blamed the impact the of the pandemic which it said caused jobs to be mothballed in the early weeks of the crisis while nervous clients were slow to get new schemes off the ground once the initial covid wave had passed.

AHMM_334 Oxford Street_copyright Secchi Smith

Source: Secchi Smith

AHMM鈥檚 plans to redevelop the former Debenhams flagship on London鈥檚 Oxford Street

The firm behind British Land鈥檚 Norton Folgate mixed-use project on the City fringe at Shoreditch said revenue during the period was down 22% to 拢43.3m with most of the fall coming from the UK where income slipped 22% to 拢40m.

AHMM, which did not pay a dividend during the year, said it claimed 拢278,000 from the government鈥檚 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme during the period.

But the firm鈥檚 headcount remained relatively stable, with the average number of staff dropping by just two to 486.

The accounts said that the actual number of full-time equivalent staff dropped by 6% to 467, although there were 503 staff on payroll at the end of the accounting period.

AHMM said that several jobs had been given planning post year-end including the refurbishment of the IBM 黑洞社区 on London鈥檚 South Bank along with its proposals to revamp the former flagship store of bust retailer Debenhams at 334 Oxford Street in central London.