SOUTH Derry paving manufacturer Tobermore Concrete Products is celebrating the best trading year in its near 80-year history.
Its newly published accounts, covering the year to April 30 last, reveal that its turnover soared by 39 per cent from £48.2 million to a shade over £67 million.
And its pre-tax profits spiralled by 74 per cent - up from £10.7m in 2020 to £18.7m last year.
Over the period, the company's payroll also rose significantly, with 380 staff now on its books (up from 303).
That saw the payroll at Tobermore rise from £112m to £13.3m, with its highest paid director David Henderson seeing his salary package rise by around £20,000 to £191,719.
The stellar results comes just over a year after the company announced a £30 million investment to expand the business, creating 95 jobs.
It also follows Tobermore's managing director of the last 35 years, David Henderson, winning the industry category at the prestigious all-island EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards just before Christmas.
The business was formed in 1942 as a humble sand and gravel company (David's father had bought into the company with £500 his wife had saved for him while he was fighting in WWII) before moving into basic concrete building blocks in the 1950s.
Today the company provides a vast range of block paving, permeable paving, paving flags, steps, kerbs, edging and channels, walling and masonry, retaining walls and eco paving and walling products, which are used in all types of settings, from hospitals, hotels, shopping centres and schools, to council public realm schemes, holiday parks and airport terminals.
High profile schemes to date have included British Airways i360 observation tower in Brighton, Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport, the Olympic Way at Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Training Academy at Enfield and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, The Emirates Arena, Glasgow.
In addition to its commercial customers, Tobermore is also a popular choice for householders keen to add value to their property and landscape their garden.
The accounts show that the business had retained earnings of £64.1 million at year-end.
