Orchard & Shipman may be in the devastated property sector, but the company, which provides temporary and settled housing solutions to local authorities, is forecasting a year of significant growth. Chief executive John Taylor says: “We’re looking to grow turnover by 18 per cent this year, so we’re feeling like we’re in a reasonably good place for a property services company in the current climate.” Orchard & Shipman has grown 39.5 per cent during the past four years with last year’s turnover standing at £9.7m. Taylor believes the company is doing so well because it diversified three to four years ago. “When the recession started to bite, we had a number of business teams that weren’t connected,” he says. “We have a large presence in managing in the public sector, which has a lot of potential for growth because of the high level of investment in it from the government.”
