The firm called the takeover deal a “perfect marriage” and said the two businesses were completely complementary with no overlap in the foundations market.

Chairman Roger Bullivant announced his decision to sell his piling company last week leaving his staff stunned.

The founder, aged 72, said he had only decided to sell ‘after much deliberation’.

Final negotiations to seal the deal are still ongoing between both firms and are scheduled to be concluded on 11 July.

Soletanche Bachy business development manager Paul Hodgson told local paper, The Burton News, that Bullivant’s 800-strong workforce had nothing to fear.

“There’s very little crossover. We are in the same market but we don’t do the same type of work, so jobs-wise I don’t think they’ve got anything to worry about because they do everything we don’t.”

Soletanche Bachy has built up a formidable track record carrying out complex foundations work on massive construction projects while Bullivant concentrates on the residential and industrial sector with its proprietary precast piling system.

He  added that Soletanche Bachy had bought Bullivant not to destroy the business but to generate income from its network of branches.

“To me it’s a perfect marriage of two quite different brothers or sisters. We’ve got our own talents and are in a similar market but not the same. If I were them I would not have any concerns.”

Final negotiations are still ongoing between the management of both firms and are scheduled to be concluded on 11 July.