M&A

Materials distributor Brickability has bought Scotland-based cladding and remediation specialist Topek in a deal worth up to £45m. The acquisition is Brickability’s 12th following its public listing in 2019, with the company following a strategy to “broaden and deepen” its portfolio. The deal consists of an initial £27.3m, followed by…

Osborne has disposed of its property maintenance arm, the third division it has sold in two years. The company said it “continues [to] restructure to focus on [our] core construction and development business” after selling its maintenance arm Osborne Property Services (OPSL) to Cardo Group, which specialises in public sector…

Kier has saved 180 jobs after buying Buckingham Contracting Group's rail business for £9.6m. Buckingham was set to become the largest construction firm to collapse since Carillion, when it filed a notice to appoint administrators on 16 August, citing losses on three of its stadium jobs and an earthworks project…

Mitie Group has acquired JCA Engineering in a deal worth up to £31.5m. The facilities management company has paid JCA £21m upfront and will offer up to £10.5m over three years, depending on the contractor’s performance. JCA is an engineering and fit-out contractor founded in 2004, and now has 180…

Vinci Energies has acquired Scotland-based firm NorPower, a specialist in extra-high-voltage overhead lines. Established in 2003, NorPower is based in Muir of Ord in the Scottish Highlands. It specialises in wood pole and steel overhead lines construction, installation, reconfiguration and refurbishment. The firm employs 30 staff. NorPower is Vinci’s second…

FM Conway has acquired Essex-based Flowline and its 164 employees from administration. Specialist drainage contractor Flowline appointed administrators from PwC on Friday (5 May), when it was renamed F (Realisations) 2023 Limited. The immediate sale of Flowline at 2.57am on Friday means all of the company’s 164 employees have transferred…

Australia’s largest privately-owned civils contractor BMD has made its first UK acquisition with the takeover of consultant The Ultimate Solution Partnership (TUSP) for an undisclosed sum.  Brisbane-based BMD became the controlling shareholder of TUSP last month, according to Companies House records.  The 44-year-old Australian firm said the acquisition was part…

Portakabin has bought modular healthcare builder that turned over £80m in 2022. Portakabin, which specialises in modular building, did not disclose how much it paid the Telford-based Darwin Group, but said the acquisition will help it to expand into the healthcare sector and offer “significant benefits to healthcare providers across…

OCU Group, the parent company of Stockport-based contractor O’Connor Utilities, has acquired London-based multi-utility specialist Modus for an undisclosed sum. Modus Utilities focuses on building power networks and substations, including solar farms and battery storage facilities. Its clients include UK Power Networks, British Land and Ampyr Energy. For the year…

Foundations specialist Abbey Pynford has been saved from administration after being bought by Wiltshire-based contractor Conlon Ltd. Abbey Pynford, which is located in Luton, filed a notice to appoint administrators last month. But the firm’s new managing director Robert Mitchell confirmed to Construction News that Conlon has since bought the…