York brickmaker targets £3m turnover after ‘excellent’ 2018

York Handmade Brick Company has achieved revenues of £2.5m in one of the best years in its 30-year history.

The independent brickmaker, based at Alne near Easingwold, will target a turnover of £3m in 2019 with a full order book and projects all over the country.

That’s according to chairman David Armitage, who said: “2018 has proved to be an excellent year for us, despite all the political uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

“We have flourished in 2018, with contracts from as far away as Cornwall and Scotland.”

York Handmade saw its most lucrative work shift from the housing sector towards property and education in 2018, David explained.

Completed contracts included the new Halifax Library, the House of Trembling Madness in York, Pocklington School’s Art and Design Technology Centre and the Westgate Centre in Oxford.

Looking ahead, David said: “Our order book is full well into 2019, with new projects including a £300k contract to build a new library at Magdalene College, Cambridge; housing developments at Lancer Square in Central London and King’s Cross; and a significant restoration project at St Albans Cathedral.

“Our success has enabled us to invest in a new dryer, which will speed up the production process and make us more efficient.”

York Handmade was founded in 1988 and now employs a team of 30.

David added: “Provided the economy doesn’t implode, we anticipate a very successful and enjoyable 2019.”

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