NextiraOne upbeat despite UK profit plummet in 2012

Directors' report hails gains made in commercial space in face of public sector softness

NextiraOne has hailed its UK performance in 2012 as "a considerable achievement in a difficult economic environment", despite profits shrinking by more than three quarters.

Documents filed this week at Companies House reveal that the comms integrator's UK sales for the 2012 calendar year was more or less flat on the prior year at £36.5m. Gross margins slipped slightly from 48 to 44 per cent, but net profit was down from £937,000 to £221,000 – a decline of 76.4 per cent.

Revenue generated outside the UK jumped almost 260 per cent year on year to £4.06m, while sales in this country were down 7.7 per cent to £32.4m. Net assets grew from £12.4m to £14.1m over the course of the year. The company carries an equity shareholders deficit, but this was down slightly to £23.4m in 2012.

NextiraOne's UK staff numbers fell slightly from 216 to 207 over the course of the year, with services and technical headcount reduced by 10 to 114.

In recent years the Lichfield-based VAR has suffered sales declines as a result of the unyielding public sector climate. The directors' report for 2012 claimed that a strong performance from other areas of the business demonstrates the company's adaptability in the face of hostile conditions.

"2012 saw a period of growth in the managed services business, with increasing revenue in a very competitive marketplace," adds the report. "Commercial sector orders grew strongly in 2012 due to the effective execution of the company's strategy focused on datacentre, collaboration and managed services solutions.

"While 2013 is expected to be challenging due to continued uncertainty in the market, the company is well placed to build on its good reputation focused on complex solutions and services."