Wates swoops for Linbrook Services

CONSTRUCTION firm Wates Group has bought £50m turnover Linbrook Services which will become part of its Yorkshire-based Wates Living Space division.

Linbrook is repairs and maintains affordable housing and has contracts covering more than 100,000 properties.

Ian Burnett, Leeds-based managing director of Wates Living Space, said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with the Linbrook team to achieve Wates Living Space‘s vision to be the leading provider of affordable housing in the UK.

“The acquisition not only offers us the exciting opportunity to grow into new markets, but will also benefit our customers, who will be able to access a fully integrated, cost-efficient service, all under the one roof.”

Wates Living Space already builds or refurbishes around 30,000 homes a year and the acquisition will be used as a platform to develop a national response maintenance business.

Paul Trickett, partner at Deloitte’s Leeds office and lead adviser to Wates on the deal, said: “This is a strategically important acquisition for Wates Living Space, allowing it to offer a more fully integrated service to the social housing market. 

“Linbrook is an excellent business which should form an excellent footprint from which to build a national presence in responsive maintenance.”