Supply Chain

Lorne Stewart reports loss amid ‘difficult’ environment

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Mechanical and electrical (M&E) specialist Lorne Stewart posted a pre-tax loss last year as turnover dropped. The company’s accounts for the 2023 calendar year reveal that the Greenford-based firm posted £118.7m in revenue, down 21 per cent from £149.3m the previous year. Its turnover was similar to its 2021 figure…

Film studio cancellation hits Severfield’s bottom line

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A cancelled film studio project in Hertfordshire has contributed to lower annual turnover and pre-tax profit for steel specialist Severfield. In its latest annual financial results announcement, the firm noted that the removal of the Sunset Studios project (pictured) from its order book “was the result of a client-driven decision…

Building trade bodies announce merger

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The National Federation of Builders (NFB) and the Scottish Building Federation (SBF) have announced plans to merge. The England and Wales-based NFB, which can trace its origins to 1880, and the SBF, which was founded in 1895, agreed to become one organisation within the next two years. The name of…

Pacific trade deal is a step in the right direction post-Brexit

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John Wallace is managing director and head of real estate at solicitors Ridgemont The UK may still be hurting from Brexit, but the Pacific trade deal is a step in the right direction. Member states benefit from free trade, consistent trade rules and the recognition of each other’s local qualifications.…

Envelope firm shows third consecutive year of sales growth

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Durham-based CA Group improved turnover and profitability last year, according to its latest accounts filed with Companies House. Turnover for the year ending 30 September 2023 reached £117.2m, compared with £107.5m in 2021/22. This was the third consecutive year of revenue growth for the firm since a downturn related to…

SMEs eye higher order volumes but lack access to finance, says survey

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Small and medium-sized construction firms are finding it harder to access finance despite growing optimism over their prospects next year, a new survey shows. Quarterly research from business finance investment firm Bibby Financial Services (BFS) found that 58 per cent of construction SME business owners expected their order book to…

Scaffolding specialist bucks tough market conditions

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Inflationary pressures and higher interest rates failed to stop Essex-based D&B Scaffolding from posting higher revenue and profit for last year. Its latest accounts, covering the year ending 31 August 2023, show that turnover increased by 2.2 per cent from £18.5m to £18.9m. And pre-tax profit almost doubled from £1m…

‘Catastrophic’ planning decision will squeeze steel supply

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Multinational manufacturer ArcelorMittal has warned a “catastrophic” planning decision will cut the UK’s access to concrete rebar steel by nearly a third. Chatham Docks in Kent, which is the firm’s only site producing the product, is set to close after Medway Council approved a project to develop a mixed-use scheme…

EU sanctions gap could allow Russian aluminium into UK

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The UK construction sector is at risk of inadvertently using Russian aluminium because of a gap in EU sanctions, a trade association has warned. Specifically, the EU has not sanctioned imports of aluminium slabs, ingots and billets, which make up about 85 per cent of the Russian aluminium imports to…

Election 24: Fit-out manifesto urges strengthening of ‘ignored’ Playbook

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The incoming government must beef up its Construction Playbook guidance to prevent its provisions from being “routinely ignored”, a leading trade body has said. The call was part of a Blueprint for Better Construction set out by the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) ahead of the general election on 4…