Long reads

When glazer Alucraft Systems filed for administration in April, a company statement cited “an extremely challenging trading environment”. Then in August, Skonto Plan UK went into administration too. With a £50m turnover in its latest accounts, it would have appeared in this year’s top 10. These two firms are far…

The UK’s largest demolition contractors cemented their post-pandemic comeback in the past financial year, with overall turnover and profit showing robust growth. Total turnover among the top 10 firms increased by 14 per cent, while pre-tax profit soared from £37.2m to £56.4m - a 51 per cent increase. Erith, which…

The UK’s top 10 concrete contractors by revenue saw their total turnover increase  by 7 per cent to £1.96bn in their latest accounts compared with their previous year’s filings. Meanwhile, total pre-tax profit leapt almost sixfold to £84.5m. J Reddington topped the revenue leaderboard with £396m. Despite its bumper turnover,…

Despite the economic headwinds affecting the industry, total turnover and profit rose in most sectors last year. But is it too soon to celebrate? Given the troubles afflicting the construction supply chain in recent years, the latest CN Specialists Index makes for relatively cheerful reading. Total turnover rose in five…

Has the industry or the environment felt any benefit from rules requiring contractors to report on their carbon footprints? CN analysis shows the regime is being undermined by a lack of consistency on what is being reported. Devon-based contractor and furniture supplier TCi spent years developing the sustainable side of…

The forthcoming Procurement Act will change the way public sector contracts are handed out. Kristina Smith canvasses industry opinion on the changes The Procurement Act was due to come into force on 28 October 2024. Designed to wrap four pieces of legislation drafted under EU law into one, the act…

Balfour Beatty is looking to train a new generation of overhead power workers to meet a glut of work in the energy transmission sector Though not quite in the clouds, I am very high up, thinking about the tensile strength of steel and the significance of each of us in…

Construction News’ analysis shows that some executives have seen their pay packages fall while others are celebrating heights never seen before The median pay for a chief executive at a FTSE 100 company reached £4.19m in 2023, the highest level on record, according to the High Pay Centre (HPC).. The…

Alfred Hitchcock’s penultimate (and most violent) movie, 1972’s Frenzy - captures a lost London. Set largely in Covent Garden, it shows the area – these days a tourist trap – as it had stood for the previous 300 years - a bustling flower and fruit market. At the time of…

This year, the Labour Party’s annual conference played host to 29 fringe events containing the word “housing” in the title. A further seven mentioned the word “infrastructure”. In crowded rooms across the conference zone on Liverpool’s dockside, delegates crammed in to hear the new army of excited “generation rent” MPs…