Global facilities management group ISS delivers 6.2% growth

Highlights from the figures include: * Accelerating organic growth for the third year in a row * Operating profit before other items of DKK 4,388 million (£491m) - the highest ever reported by ISS * Operating margin was 5.7% * ISS added 12,000 new jobs across the world Jeff Gravenhorst, ISS Group chief executive, said: "We see our strong performance in 2011 as a clear sign that ISS is on the right track implementing 'The ISS Way' strategy both with customers and employees. "The fact that we accelerated growth for the third consecutive year and achieved the highest organic growth in more than a decade is a clear proof point that both new and existing customers are happy with the services delivered by ISS. "In 2011, we successfully converted several large global contract wins into well-implemented long-term contracts." Group revenue amounted to DKK 77.6 billion (£8.7bn) in 2011, an increase of 5% compared with 2010, driven by organic growth of 6.2% and a positive effect from exchange rate movements of 1% which was offset by negative net effect from acquisitions and divestments of 2%. Operating profit before other items increased by 2% to DKK 4,388 million – the highest level in the history of ISS. The operating margin (operating profit before other items as a percentage of revenue) was 5.7% in 2011 compared with 5.8% in 2010. The operating margin in 2011 was supported by strong margins in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and the Asia region in particular. ISS UK operates three main divisions – healthcare (300 units, 14,500 staff), education (primaries, secondaries, academies and colleges) and Ministry of Defence (contracts include the Army's Surrey MAC [Multi Activity Contract] and the Super CRL [catering, retail and leisure] contract with the Royal Air Force).