Renew Holdings plc
history
Renew Holdings plc, has a history spanning over 200 years. Founded originally as YJ Lovell, by Young James Lovell, a surveyor who in 1876 acquired the century-old Marlow building firm of Thomas Corby, a business which had begun almost a century before. The fifth son of a Dorset carpenter, Young James was a man of great flair who made the most of his opportunities and gave the company the impetus to continue developing over the next century.
The company went public in 1968 and over the following years the Group's activities expanded to include a Building Division, Plant Hire Operation, Developments Division, Timber Operation, and overseas interests in land development. In the late 1990s and early part of this century, the Group reorganised its activities substantially, selling various businesses and acquiring four companies which today form a major part of its operations, Allenbuild, Britannia Construction, VHE and Shepley Engineers.
Following the appointment of Roy Harrison as Chairman in 2004 and of Brian May as Chief Executive in 2005, the Group was renamed Renew Holdings plc, a holding company of a Group providing specialist construction services through individually branded subsidiaries across the UK.
In 2007, Renew acquired Seymour Civil Engineering Contractors, an engineering services company specialising in the water industry and in 2008 added to this area of expertise with the acquisition by Seymour of C&A Pumps.
Today, the Group is organised into two business streams; Specialist Engineering with expertise in nuclear, rail infrastructure, land remediation and water through its subsidiaries Shepley Engineers, YJL Infrastructure, VHE, Seymour and C&A Pumps; and Specialist Building incorporating retail, social housing, science & education and restoration and refurbishment through its subsidiaries Allenbuild, Britannia Construction and Walter Lilly.
The Group's clear strategy is to seek to increase shareholder value by seeking consistent cash generative growth through the delivery of specialist construction services.
In Specialist Engineering we will:
- develop and grow current specialisms in water, nuclear and land remediation both organically and by acquisition;
- seek strategic acquisitions in other complementary engineering markets, particularly those with an environmental or ground related specialism;
In Specialist Building we will:
- focus on our chosen primary specialist markets (Social Housing, Retail, Restoration and Refurbishment, and Science and Education);
- concentrate on margin improvement and cash generation;