robertson technologies, the innovative Edinburgh-based IT support company, has recorded its highest first quarter growth to date with figures up 39% on the back of a hardware buying spree by SMEs.

The firm, which has successfully marketed its no-nonsense approach to IT support and maintenance in the small business sector, has seen turnover rise to £335,000 for the year to March and £400,000 projected for next year. It is already 3% ahead of targets.

It has also increased its client portfolio in Edinburgh by around 18% to 150 and is continuing to see growth in its ambitious franchise programme. It currently has six nationwide franchises and is on target for 10 by the end of December.

Hamish Robertson, who founded the company six years ago while still at university, said that the growth spurt was symptomatic of a resurgence of confidence in the economy allied to the replacement of hardware which had been deferred during the worst of the downturn.

He said: “The first quarter of this year has been quite remarkable, with receipts up to £98,000 from £65,000 in the same quarter last year, an increase of 39%. There is no doubt that this reflects a sense that the economy is through the worst and that it is now time to invest in the future.

“The economy as a whole, and the SME sector on which we focus in particular, has been on a downward spiral for the past two fiscal years and scheduled decisions on replacing and renewing hardware have been delayed.

“But companies are completely reliant on their IT systems and in many cases they now have no choice but to upgrade, otherwise they are likely to simply stop trading.”

Mr Robertson pointed out that this effectively makes companies like robertson technologies – which only caters for SME commercial clients without becoming distracted by other customer sets – effectively recession-resilient.

 “We have three significant clients who are about to spend a sum approaching £35,000 on hardware replacement project in the next quarter alone. If that is reflected across the rest of our client base, then our projections will have to be revised substantially upwards,” he explained.

Hamish continued: “Small to medium enterprises are at the heart of the British economy and they are looking for straightforward, no-nonsense support which is relevant to their day-to-day business. That is the simple strategy which is underpinning our current extraordinary success.”