Aecom hails ‘Europe strength’ in strong full-year results

Aecom has hailed growth in its European consultancy division, after strong performance in the region helped the firm post solid full-year results.

Aecom, which completed a £2.3bn mega-merger with fellow US construction giant URS last month, posted a 3% rise in overall revenue to $8.4bn (£5.3bn) for the year to 30 September 2014, up from $8.2bn (£5.1bn) the previous year.

Operating profit fell 6% to $353m (£222.5m), down from $377m (£237.6m).

The results did not incorporate revenue and profit from URS as the takeover completed outside the reporting period.

In a statement accompanying its accounts, Aecom hailed the “strength” of its European consultancy business.

Aecom said “continued strength” in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia “helped offset a lower-than-anticipated contribution from the company’s design business in the Americas”.

Aecom’s professional technical services business lines, which includes cost consultancy, planning, consulting, architecture, engineering design and program and construction management, posted a $407m (£256.5m) operating profit for the year.

Commenting on the URS takeover, Aecom chief executive Michael Burke, said: “With the URS transaction closed, Aecom is focused on integrating two world-class organizations and executing on our strategy to become the premier fully integrated infrastructure firm.”

Aecom said it expects to deliver around $110m (£69.3m) of synergy savings from the acquisition of URS this year.

Aecom designed the 42,000-seat Otkrytie Arena (pictured) for Spartak Moscow in Russia, which completed this year.