Construction/Manufacturing
2015: No.6 - £750m
2014: No.7 - £520m
John Bloor’s Triumph Motorcycles declared a pre-tax loss for the year to June 30, 2013 – its first loss since 2009.
But, despite that, it’s been another good year for Bloor Holdings, thanks to the Government’s incentives for house buyers and the rise in the housing market which have boosted Bloor Homes – the other half of John Bloor’s business.
The £12.8 million loss at Hinckley-based Triumph Motorcycles was put down to foreign exchange losses on assets and liabilities. The underlying performance remains strong with sales reaching £333.7 million – an increase of £17 million. Sales were boosted by the firm’s first year of entry into the Brazilian market.
Triumph pushed the number of motorcycle sales past the 50,000 mark, up from 48,957 to 52,089, with more than 85 per cent coming from exports as the US market improved. As well as Brazil, India is being targeted for another sales boost. In the UK, Triumph retained its number one market position with a 20 per cent share and sold more large capacity motorbikes than any other manufacturer.
Upgrades across the range, plus the launch of the 1215cc Trophy – Triumphs’ most technically advanced motorbike to date – have helped Triumph sell well around the world, despite a difficult climate in the global motorcycle industry.
Turnover for the Bloor Holdings group was £760 million – a rise of more than £33 million on the previous year. Pre-tax profits slipped a little to £35.6 million.
Measham-based Bloor Homes is building houses at a rate of more than 2,000 a year – everything from one-bedroom apartments to seven-bedroom luxury homes. The housebuilding division increased its revenue from £373.1 million to £77.8 million despite fewer completions.
The slump in house sales of a few years ago hit Bloor Homes hard but that’s now history as the house market recovers.
New developments have been built in Altrincham, Wednesbury, Bath and Frome. In 2012 Bloor Homes acquired an 11.2-acre site in Waterlooville near Portsmouth with planning consent for 194 new homes. Gross development value for that site is estimated at £35 million.
Bloor Homes has also signed an agreement with North Worcestershire Golf Club to acquire its course in Northfield for residential development. The club opted to sell the land after suffering reduced membership.
Bloor Homes is one of the largest privately owned housebuilding groups in the UK.
Our estimation of the value of 71-year-old John Bloor’s revitalised Triumph Motorcycles and booming Bloor Homes gives a combined value for the group of £725 million.
Derbyshire-born Bloor – who lives in Swadlincote – rescued the collapsed Triumph in 1983 and the brand displayed the first products from its new Hinckley factory in 1990. Bloor, a miner’s son, has poured more than £80 million into rebuilding the 100-year-old brand. He was awarded the OBE in 1995 for services to the motorcycle industry and holds an honorary law degree from Leicester University.
