Last checked at 
LONDON (Alliance News) - Structural steel and construction safety company Billington Holdings PLC on Tuesday said its first-half results came in ahead of market expectations amid a continued improvement in trading conditions, which helped its pretax profit to more than double and its revenue to rise.
Billington said its pretax profit in the six months to the end of June was GBP1.7 million, more than double the GBP790,000 it made a year earlier and coming in ahead of market expectations, according to the company. It said industry conditions continued to improve in the first half and added that it is now trading in line with market expectations for the full year.
The group's revenue rose to GBP24.6 million from GBP21.3 million, boosted by a strong performance across its divisions, including a major contract to provide steel for a warehouse for retailer Next PLC, plus benefits it has seen from the recovery in the UK construction sector.
"I am pleased to deliver a strong set of interim results, which have exceeded market expectations. I would like to thank all divisions of the group for contributing positively to this. We are experiencing growing demand in the sector and Billington remains well placed to capitalise on these increased opportunities," said Chief Executive Mark Smith.
"The board is confident that further progress will be achieved and that the company is well placed to deliver strong full year results, in order to generate the best return for our shareholders," Smith added.
Shares in Billington were up 5.6% to 291.85 pence on Tuesday.
By Sam Unsted; samunsted@alliancenews.com; @SamUAtAlliance
Copyright 2015 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
