Nuttall makes tracks for more ventures in a consolidating a consolidating market

Civil engineering contractor looks to increase the number of firms it works with and to target further rail work

Nuttall has admitted it is looking at expanding the number of firms it carries out joint ventures with in the wake of growing industry consolidation.

The civil engineering contractor has recently worked with Norwest Holes on a road scheme in Bedfordshire and Kier on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

It is also currently partnering Taylor Woodrow on a bid for a £400 million revamp of Victoria railway station in central London.

But Martin Rogers, the chief executive of the £600 million-turnover firm, said the latest round of takeovers has forced it to look into renewing dormant relationships.

Mr Rogers said: "We are talking to new firms and re-energising relationships. If the market is consolidating, and I think there will be more of it, we need to make sure we continue as a leading player in the civil engineering market."

The firm is targeting more rail work and Mr Rogers said its joint venture with Taywood was the start of a wider push into working on key London station jobs both overground and underground.

He said it would concentrate on its core civils expertise at Victoria and is also looking at jobs at King's Cross along with Vauxhall and Green Park Tube stations.

Mr Rogers added: "We're looking at stations where they're a major hub. in rail in general we're seeing far greater consistency of work coming through."

Nuttall is eyeing several Thameslink jobs for Network Rail as well as the Reading station revamp. It is also targeting work on the Crossrail project.

But Mr Rogers said work from the Highways Agency which has seen a number of senior people come and go in the past year was more patchy.

Roads still accounted for the largest slice of revenue last year, at close to £200 million, with rail second on £135 million.

The firm is coming to the end of its remediation contract at the Olympic Park in east London at one point it was turning over £1 million a day but Mr Rogers said it was hoping to extend its role there beyond 2012, when contracts are let to turn the site into its legacy mode.

Nuttall already has a job to carry out road and bridge work for the Olympic Delivery Authority and is chasing a £100 million landscaping deal.

Overall workloads are continuing to hold up but Mr Rogers said some housing deals, which included a large amount of infrastructure, were coming under pressure it lost out on a £11 million deal in Swindon, Wiltshire, when Taylor Wimpey pulled out of a planned housing scheme.

Turnover at Nuttall last year hit a record £594 million, up by four per cent on last time, while pre tax profits slipped £400,000 to £19.2 million. Margins were broadly flat at 3.2 per cent.

Further Info

For further information, contact Peter Bishop, Head of Public Relations at:
Edmund Nuttall Limited
St James House, Knoll Road, Camberley,
Surrey GU15 3XW
Tel: 01276 63484
Fax:01276 66060
E-Mail: peter.bishop@edmund-nuttall.co.uk