WTM.L Regulatory News (WTM)

7 Dec 2007 07:01

Waterman Group PLC07 December 2007 Waterman Group plc Chairman's Annual General Meeting Statement Speaking at the company's Annual General Meeting to be held today, Roger Fidgen,Chairman of Waterman Group plc, the engineering and environmental consultants,will make the following comments regarding current trading: " I am pleased to report that the Group continues to trade strongly in thecurrent financial year. Including the benefit of acquisitions, invoicing in thefirst four months of the new financial year is up by over 35 per cent comparedto the same period last year. All sectors continue to perform well and a numberof important new projects have been secured in the UK and overseas. In addition,staff numbers have increased from 1,785 at the end of June to 1,954 at the endof November. " We are delighted with the performances of our recent earnings enhancingacquisitions. In the current financial year, all three acquisitions areperforming in line with expectations. " The Group's planned succession strategy saw the appointment of Nick Taylor asGroup Chief Executive in July 2007. Nick has been with Waterman for over 25years and was previously responsible for its structural engineering business. " As a result of the Group's successful expansion and diversification strategyboth by engineering discipline and geographically, the volume of work isexpected to increase in the year ahead. The order book, which includes projectsin a wide range of sectors, stands at record levels and is enhanced by a numberof long term framework agreements with major clients. " We are pleased to announce to shareholders today that the Group has recentlybeen appointed by a number of clients on a broad range of contracts acrossdifferent sectors and territories. These appointments include: • A new hospital in St Andrews, Scotland • A public housing project and 31,000m(2) business park in Dublin • A mixed use 27 storey tower in Woollongong, Australia • The landscape master plan for the 6 sq km Trumpet Island in Tianjin BinHai, China • Network Rail's National Framework Agreement from October 2007 " Demand for Waterman's services is increasing in the UK and overseas and theGroup has invested in additional office accommodation in a number of cities tomeet client requirements. Despite the uncertainty about the world economy, allsectors are performing well and your Board views the coming year withconfidence." -ends- Date: 7 December 2007For further information contact: Waterman Group plc cityPROFILENick Taylor, Chief Executive Simon CourtenayGraham Hiscocks, Finance Director William Attwell020-7928-7888 020-7448-3244web: www.waterman-group.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange