Record orders for Deanestor

Deanestor, the contract furniture and fit-out specialist with a Scottish base in Dunfermline, has announced a record order intake.

The firm said it had secured some £12.5 million of orders in the last six months, marking a “significant” increase on the same period in 2018.

Contracts have been awarded for delivery through to 2020 and across a diverse range of sectors, it added, including private rental schemes, student accommodation, healthcare and education. A large proportion of the projects are for repeat clients – both developers and contractors.

Deanestor’s largest project in the education sector is a £3m contract awarded by Robertson Construction for the new £55m Inverurie Community Campus.

The company will furnish and fit out 360 rooms across the campus in just 26 weeks. This will encompass the manufacture of 1,950 metres of shelving, 670 metres of laminate and laboratory worktops, 400 base and wall storage units, more than 80 teaching walls, and some 500 items of metalwork.

The firm said that a trend towards larger furniture and fit-out contracts of £1m-plus had continued, requiring a “high degree of technical design input and project management” from its teams. The latest contracts to be awarded are also spread across the UK – in Scotland, England and Wales.

Managing director William Tonkinson said: “We have been very successful in diversifying into new markets which has provided a healthy forward order book and a solid foundation for the business in an uncertain economic environment.

“We are the longest established furniture and fit-out provider to the NHS with a track record that spans more than 70 years. It is fantastic to see this work continue but also the success of our move into other areas such as kitchens for residential developments.”