Kier strikes deal to buy Mouchel for £265m

Aaron Morby 9 years ago
Share

Kier has agreed a deal to buy infrastructure consultant Mouchel for £265m.

The contractor aims to raise £340m in a rights issue to pay for the deal including Mouchel’s debt and integration costs.

It will create a combined group with an order book of £9.3bn and a sector leader in the growing UK highways management and maintenance market.

Kier expects to deliver £10m in annual cost savings, including £4.4m a year in corporate savings from reducing Mouchel’s board.

Integration of the two businesses to create a £3.6bn turnover group with strong infrastructure design capabilities will cost an estimated £17m.

Haydn Mursell, chief executive of Kier, said: “Over the last three years, Mouchel has been transformed into a strong business with market leading positions.

“The combination of Kier and Mouchel, particularly in the provision of UK highways maintenance services, creates a leader in a growing marketplace.”

Grant Rumbles, chief executive of Mouchel, said: “Kier and Mouchel are an excellent fit.

“The enlarged company will enable us to improve our offer to customers and to enhance the career opportunities of our employees.

“This deal is testimony to the successful turnaround of Mouchel following its 2012 restructuring. Refocusing the business on its core strengths and targeting profitable growth has brought us to a position where our order book is now more than £2.8bn.”

On completion of the transaction in June, Mouchel chief executive Rumbles will stand down. Mursell will become CEO of the expanded group.

This latest expansion follows on from Kier’s £221m acquisition of May Gurney in July 2013, where Mursell then finance director played a pivotal role.

Mouchel will give Kier access to long-term and, in many cases, recently won frameworks and contracts for the Highways England Areas 1, 3, 9 and 13, and complement Kier’s capital works for Highways England.

Kier said the deal would place the enlarged group in a position to benefit from the new Road Investment Strategy, which sets out a long-term investment plan of £17bn on the strategic road network from 2015 to 2020.

 

Latest news

Director jailed for exposing workers to asbestos

Ten tonnes of asbestos insulating board stripped out by unqualified workers
10 seconds ago

Site labour rates start rising again

Industry's biggest payroll firm says "it feels like things could be turning round"
5 hours ago

Council finds extra £33m for Buckinghamshire link road

South East Aylesbury Link Road costs soar by nearly 30% to £147m
4 hours ago

Quartet win £490m North West & Central railway works deal

Skanska, Kier, Octavius Infrastructure and Story Contracting bag major projects deal
5 hours ago

Unite Students plans first major mixed-use scheme

Developer's first mixed BTR and PBSA project to be built in Edinburgh
20 hours ago

Galliford Try names new finance director

Rentokil's Kris Hampson joins contractor to replace Andrew Duxbury
6 hours ago

Council boss hits out at bat threat to £274m road job

Natural England could scupper scheme due to be built by Ferrovial
6 hours ago

Hydrogen-fuelled diggers to be allowed onto highways

Government to raise barrier to widespread use of hydrogen fuelled plant in construction
21 hours ago

Plans in for £118m Government hub in Darlington

Work pencilled to start later this year on new home for 1,450 civil servants
21 hours ago

New contractor highlights Henry Construction jobs on website

New firm lists jobs by failed contractor to show its experience
1 day ago

Contractors line up for £2.6bn Anglian Water AMP8 deal

Eight big names land places on pioneering @one Alliance
2 days ago

McAleer & Rushe bags first major later living project

Work to start this month on 167-flat Royal Tunbridge Wells project
1 day ago

Kier starts first all-electric prison houseblock job in Kent

Next-generation fully electric T60 prison houseblock to be built at HMP Elmley
1 day ago

Keepmoat sees better times ahead in housing market

Profits dip in 2023 despite construction of record number of new homes
1 day ago

Vistry signs partnership deals for 1,900 mixed tenure homes

West Sussex former airfield and Newmarket sites to break ground
2 days ago

Turnover at Wates tops £2bn for first time

Construction division exceeds £1bn turnover as average contract value hits record high of £48.3m
2 days ago

L&G looks to sell Cala Homes in exit from house building

Insurance giant reported to be preparing to offload 3,000 homes-a-year developer
3 days ago

Multiplex profit almost trebles as margin hits 5.5%

Revenue jumps 20% to £675m as big London scheme complete
2 days ago

TopHat puts plans to open huge Corby factory on hold

Advanced manufacturing facility was due to employ 1,000 people
2 days ago

Laing O’Rourke lands Calderdale hospital job

Enabling works to start by the end of this year at West Yorkshire site
2 days ago

Go-ahead for £475m Sunderland film and TV studios

Work to start this year on first phase Corwn Work studios
2 days ago

Willmott Dixon set for £20m Stockport Community Hub

Planning decision expected in June on Marple leisure and health clinic project
2 days ago

Police hunt for blundering dumper truck thief

Raider drove into a fence before getting stuck on a bank
2 days ago

Beattie Passive files administration notice

Passivhaus pioneer has been in business for more than ten years
3 days ago

McAlpine set for £50m space and tech centre

Northumbria Uni sign pre-con deal for new satellite research hub
3 days ago

VolkerFitzpatrick seals £34m Kent road viaduct

Work to start next year on Sturry Link Road near Canterbury
3 days ago

Eight win £600m Scottish civil engineering framework

Balfour, Farrans, Graham and Morgan Sindall win major works lot
3 days ago

Site engineer crushed to death by excavator

22-year-old victim died just months after graduating from university
5 days ago

NG Bailey fined £135,000 after hospital site death

Worker died after striking overhead beam while navigating a mobile elevating work platform
6 days ago

Kier lands £30m Mansfield Connect project

Construction to start in January 2025 on town centre regeneration scheme
3 days ago

Contractor services