PROFESSIONAL services group Mouchel has endured a “difficult and disappointing year” as it has been forced to refocus its strategies.

The firm has a base in Liverpool’s Cunard Building and provides a range of services for Liverpool and Knowsley councils under its 2020 brand.

Mouchel’s core business has performed strongly, with revenue up 13% to £740.6m. Margins were maintained and profits rose to £47.3m in the year to July 31.

However exceptional items of £53.6m caused a pre-tax lost of £13.5m. The group made a substantial withdrawal from the rail market, its management consulting businesses under-performed and it was hit badly by the Dubai property crisis.

Richard Cuthbert, Mouchel chief executive, said: “This has been a difficult and disappointing year for Mouchel. These factors have clouded what has otherwise been another year of growth and strong performance in our core business.

“At an operating level the group has again performed well, with double-digit growth of both revenue and underlying operating profit, although the latter was below the expectations we set in the spring of 2008, before the worst impacts of the recession had begun to materialise.”