Construction group reveals impressive growth
A RESTRUCTURE in the business and an influx of positive news in East Yorkshire is helping a long-established family firm reach impressive growth targets.
Hull-based Hall Construction Group has told TheBusinessDesk.com that it will turn over around £30m this year – double what it reported in its previous results. And, it says it is confident that within the next 18 months to two years, the group will reach turnover of £50m.
Chairman Martin Hall, the fourth generation of the 130-year old family business, said the group saw the “green shoots” of recovery coming last year and decided it was time to look at how they were going to grow the business. As a result, Hall Construction Group restructured into three divisions, from six. It now is comprised of construction, renewables and joinery (operating under Batty Joinery).
“It was all about thinking how to grow the business while trying to control the overheads and maximise turnover,” Mr Hall said.
“Now we have restructured the business, £50m is doable without a doubt.”
The group works in market sectors such as health, leisure, education, retail, industrial and residential and one of the group’s most recent construction contracts is to build the new John Good Shipping offices at Bridgehead Business Park in Hessle. The 50-acre business park is being developed by Hull-based property company the Wykeland Group and when completed, will include 612,000sqft of office, research and development and high-tech space. It is home to Beal Homes’ new £1.5m headquarters.
Hall has also secured a contract with Hull City Council on the long awaited development at Orchard Park. The project in conjunction with Cityheart is for a number of retail units which are all pre-let and will be fitted out to the end users individual specifications. Previous projects include Arco’s distribution centre in Hull and an office block for chartered accountants Smailes Goldie.
The firm’s renewables division, which launched in 2012, has recently completed a project at Burton Constable Hall and Mr Hall said the group is now looking at other stately homes to work with. Hall’s renewables division has also just picked up £700,000 worth of work putting biomass boilers into East Riding schools.
Hall’s Batty Joinery will double its £3m turnover this year and is focussed on growing its market in London as well as trying to get into the Middle Eastern market and grow its exports, which currently account for around £750,000 of its turnover.
“All of our divisions are lifting at the same time,” Mr Hall said.
The group employs around 200 people and Mr Hall said he sees this number increasing.
“The key to this now will be finding the right people to join the team,” he said.
Mr Hall said the biggest opportunities for the business are in Hull and East Yorkshire, due to a number of recent announcements, including the major Siemens investment at Green Port Hull and the City of Culture status for 2017.
“It all builds a positive effect and builds confidence which drip feeds through the region,” he said.
“Our growth is as a result of a lot of things coming together and once we get to £50m turnover, we will have a stronger team in place and will be able to grow the business even further.
“The thrust of the business will be in construction but we will be growing our renewables division significantly – that’s an exciting sector to be in.”
