Housebuilder Keepmoat has pushed profits ahead and is set to take on 500 new people in the coming year.
The Doncaster-based group, the parent company of social housing firm Frank Haslam Milan, which has a base at Coleshill, and affordable house builder Haslam Homes, which operates across the Midlands from Kegworth, has posted record results for the fifth year running.
It works with Solihull Community Housing, Walsall Housing Group, Redditch Council and Waterloo Housing Association.
The turnover for the year to the end of this March was up 38 per cent to £334.7 million, with pre- tax profits of £ 33 . 1 million against £19.1 million in 2004. The group's affordable homes for sale market through operating company Haslam Homes produced a pre-tax profit of £21.5 million on a turnover of £87.7 million, a margin of 24.5 per cent.
Turnover grew to £ 238 . 4 million in the contracting-partnering business with a margin of 4.9 per cent, equating to a pre-tax profit of £11.7 million.
The group, which employs 2,200 directly and works with 1 , 300 individual subcontractors, specialises in affordable homes, the refurbishment of council houses and new build for housing associations. It builds around 1,000 new homes a year.
Chairman Dick Watson said: "The social housing market is a strong market to be in as the Government continues to focus on building sustainable communities with a budget of £22 billion set aside.
"As a company, we are passionately committed to community regeneration.
"We believe that first time buyers should be able to get a first step on the housing ladder so we ensure we produce affordable homes.
"Our average selling price was £107,000 last year. We are also one of the first companies in the country to launch a range of £60,000 houses following the challenge laid down by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
"By mixing housing-for-sale together with improved social housing we are able to transform run-down areas into vibrant and inviting places to live, with positive effects on entire communities."
The contracting-partnering side of the business, which is carried out by Bramall Construction and Frank Haslam Milan- last year refurbished over 30,000 homes for local authorities, registered social landlords, arms length management organisations - ALMO's - and large scale voluntary transfers - LSVT's - affecting the lives of more than 100,000 people.
It claims to be the largest regenerator of social housing throughout the North and Midlands.
Mr Watson went on: "We are taking on about 500 new staff a year and we aim to be the employer of choice.
"Our forward order book for partnerships and partnering arrangements now stands at over £2 billion, double a year ago, and quadruple the year before that."
