Skanska’s Czech construction division pulled itself out of its loss-making results by producing profits of CZK 142m in 2014, with revenues rising by nearly 20 percent to CZK 15bn. The construction giant benefited from a return to growth of the country’s construction sector which grew 2.3 percent after five years of falling output. Skanska’s losses in 2013 were horrendous: CZK 888m. Director Roman Wieczorek says the company can return to its position of leadership, but he told Hospodařské noviny this doesn’t mean it needs the highest revenues numbers. “To be the best means that the others will try to copy us,” he said. “That we’ll be respected in the market because of what we do.” Wieczorek admitted in the interview that Skanska is in a delicate situation because his predecessor has become the new Czech Transport Minister and because the company’s future growth will depend on state orders. Skanska has already secured CZK 14bn worth of orders for 2014, 46 percent more than a year ago. Wieczorek said this is the first time since the crisis began that the value of contracted work had grown on a year to year basis. Skanska began concentrating on smaller orders back in 2012, and the move now appears to have borne fruit.
