Figures released by Hill and Smith Holdings PLC, a group that includes leading UK road and security barrier companies Hardstaff Barriers and Asset VRS, show that the firms remained ‘robust’ in 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
The financial results for last year show a ‘Robust performance, strong cash generation and positive long-term prospects’ across the group.
Furthermore, the group has also paid back the £3.6m it received from the UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for the staff furloughed across all subsidiaries in 2020.
Hill and Smith Holdings PLC, an international group creating sustainable infrastructure and safe transport through innovation, published the figures in its Preliminary Results for the Year Ended 31 December, released this month.
Hardstaff Barriers, based in Nottingham, and Asset VRS, based in Wolverhampton, are leading UK suppliers and manufacturers of vehicle restraint systems (VRS), hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) barriers, perimeter fencing and concrete security barriers, which are all designed to keep people and property safe.
Dave Todd, executive director of Hardstaff Barriers and Asset VRS, said: “We have remained resilient throughout the pandemic and we’ve worked very hard to keep our teams safe, as well as keep the businesses moving forward.
“We are incredibly proud to be part of the Hill and Smith Group and to have emerged, a year on from the start of the pandemic, stronger and more robust. And this has allowed the businesses to do the right thing and repay furlough monies back in 2020.”
More recently, as a result of the pandemic, the companies experienced a significant increase in demand for concrete and steel barriers by local authorities to increase space for social distancing.
Pubs, food shops, and even schools have also installed barriers to create maximum opportunities for social distancing and to keep people safe.
The barriers provide physical protection from nearby traffic and remind people of the need to comply with social distancing requirements.