Forrest eyes growth after Anchor deal

SOCIAL housing contractor Forrest has been appointed by Anchor under one its new long term agreements for planned works which could be worth nationally up to £350m.

The deal with Anchor – England’s largest not-for-profit housing and care provider for the over-55s – will enable Bolton-based Forrest to open an office in Newcastle.

Forrest – the only contractor so far appointed to the tendering framework – has already been asked to deliver investment across 15,000 properties in Yorkshire, the North East, North West and Cumbria.

Projects under the agreement include roofing, electrical and refurbishment work across the UK for retirement villages, residential care homes and sheltered schemes.

Forrest chief executive Lee McCarren said: “This win provides us with a new platform for growth in the North of England and will see us open our first office in the North East.

“Our continued success through framework agreements, which make up a significant proportion of our long term revenue, is a result of our strong relationships with some of the UK’s leading housing providers and the quality of our work. We now have the scale to compete for opportunities at a national level.”

Forrest is expecting to recruit up to 60 new site-based roles which include contract managers, surveyors, site managers, customer support officers, general labourers, joiners, and bricklayers among others.

Category manager at Anchor Drew Robertson said: “We believe, in Forrest, we have an organisation which is forward thinking and open to the new ways of working required under these contracts.”