Travis Perkins: Toolstation owner slashed 400 jobs and 19 branches as slowdown hit construction sector February 28, 2023 Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins has revealed it axed 400 jobs and shut 19 branches at the end of last year as a slowdown in the construction sector hit its bottom line. The group, which owns the Toolstation chain, said it was forced to take some “difficult decisions” to slash costs by £25 million this year. [...]
Affordable homes: London targets not being met despite 50 per cent rise in construction projects, claim Tories February 14, 2023 London mayor Sadiq Khan has been criticised for being behind on building targets for affordable homes, despite new construction projects increasing on last year. City Hall says 900 more affordable homes were completed in the financial year to December 2022 than in the same period last year, a rise of 50 per cent. But Tory [...]
Pensions: Specialist insurer PIC strikes £400m Amey deal after £600m House of Fraser buy-in January 16, 2023 The specialist insurer that bought out House of Fraser’s pensions fund for £600m last year has completed a £400m deal to take over UK engineering firm Amey’s retirement scheme. Pension Insurance Corporation’s (PIC’s) deal will see the firm take responsibility for paying out 3,473 pensions, covering £400m worth of liabilities. Bulk purchase annuity (BPA) deals [...]
Long-serving Wates Group chairman Sir James Wates steps down – with his cousin Tim taking over January 4, 2023 Sir James Wates has announced he will be stepping down as chairman of family-owned construction giant Wates Group.
East London construction firm fined over collapsed floor that left builder injured December 22, 2022 The UK’s health and safety regulator has fined a London construction firm £66,667 over its failure to prevent a builder falling through the floor of a half-built building in Croydon. East London construction firm Lusson Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations after an overloaded floor collapsed at a building site on Croydon’s [...]
Marshalls’ shares plummet as firm warns of slowdown in sales October 7, 2022 Shares in building materials manufacturer Marshalls fell almost 20 per cent today after the firm warned of a slowdown in sales due to faltering demand. The West Yorkshire firm said its outturn will be “slightly below the bottom end of the current range of market expectations” as its sales start to slow. The warning comes [...]
17,000 construction firms risk collapsing any minute as high inflation is ‘destroying entire sector’ October 4, 2022 The number of UK construction companies at significant risk of closure has jumped 54 per cent to 16,755 this quarter, up from 10,686, according to fresh data shared with City A.M. this morning. Construction companies are struggling to cope with spiralling construction costs, inflation and rising interest rates on their debt. In the last quarter [...]
Luxury resort developer jailed for 12 years over £226m fraud September 30, 2022 A “thrice bankrupt fraudster”, who lost investors almost £400m through a “fatally flawed” Caribbean property scheme, was jailed at Southwark Crown Court today. David Ames, 70, a former double-glazing seller from Essex, was sentenced to 12 years in prison today, after being convicted of defrauding investors of £226m. Ames’ Harlequin property development company collapsed in [...]
Construction sector shrinks for second month in a row as recession signals brighten September 6, 2022 Construction activity shrank for the second month in a row in a sign the UK economy’s malaise is spreading to every sector, a closely watched survey published today showed. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) edged higher to 49.2 last month, up from 48.9 in July. Despite [...]
Concrete plans: Will cement-free concrete ease emissions? August 29, 2022 City A.M. looks at whether cement-free concrete could prevent new green projects being undermined by heavy emissions.