Practice said UK pipeline had ’converted more slowly than anticipated’ as uncertainty and inflation weighed on clients
Cautious clients and a sluggish UK economy hit BDP’s top line last year with the firm’s turnover dropping 13% and its profit falling by more than 60%.
The UK’s second largest practice blamed “tougher trading conditions” for a sharp fall in pre-tax profit from £9.77m to £3.68m in the year to 30 June 2025, with revenue of sliding from £149m to £130m.
While it said it had seen higher workloads in Ireland and the Middle East, it admitted that its UK pipeline had “converted more slowly than anticipated” due to economic uncertainty, inflationary pressure and an increased burden of regulation on clients.
The practice said: “Over the past year, a dynamic macro-economic and geopolitical backdrop lengthened client decision cycles and shifted demand in parts of the private sector. Evolving legislation and regulation also raised the bar for delivery.”
In the UK, its turnover fell 15% from £97.7m to £82.6m, but held steady in the rest of Europe at just under £12m, up from £11.6m. In the rest of the world, its turnover dipped by 11% from £39.4m to £35m.
The number of employees also fell from 1,328 to 1,234, with the number of architects employed at the firm down 9% from 892 to 814. The firm’s highest paid director was handed £223,000, down from £360,000 in 2024.
Meanwhile, the group said it had set aside a provision of £162,000 relating to redundancy and the restructuring of its operations in Toronto.
Major projects completed by the practice during the year included the Hill Dickinson Stadium for Everton FC, the transformation of the former TopShop flagship store on Oxford Street into a branch of IKEA, a cancer centre for the Royal Marsden Hospital and a seven-block residential scheme in Toronto.
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