Robertson Group
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Construction Facilities management |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Headquarters | Elgin, Scotland |
Key people | Sir Bill Robertson (Chairman) Elliot Robertson (CEO) |
| Revenue |  £461.9 million (2021)[1] |
 £22.5 million (2021)[1] | |
| £19.1 million (2021)[1] | |
| Website | www |
Robertson Group is a large British construction company based in Elgin, Scotland, but also operating in the north and midlands of England. It is the largest construction company in Scotland.[2]
History[edit]
Robertson Group was founded during 1966 by joiner Bill Robertson; the company's sole employee was Bobby Robertson, Bill's brother, who declined to act as owner despite his experience.[3][4] Initial work for the business was mainly inherited from the business dealings of their father, who had suddenly died from tuberculosis as the age of 57. The local council was a valuable source of work during these early years of trading.[4] One specific policy, pertaining to the release of housing plots, was relatively open and approachable to smaller parties, which enabled the firm to branch into the homebuilding sector via the purchase of several small plots, employ other tradesmen to build them, and sell the completed houses for profit; homebuilding would be a key early business sector alongside contract work.[4]
Early opportunities pursued by the company were within the locale; Bill Robertson gave little thought to expanding geographically during the company's first decade.[4] One such opportunity was the closure of a local precast concrete works that had been operated by a national company; Robertson Group purchased and reopened the works, after which it was expanded and sold on. The company kept ownership of the site it formerly occupied and subsequently had it redeveloped into a supermarket.[4] By the mid-1970s, Robertson Group had grown to the point where employed around 50 people and owned several construction vehicles, including a 16-ton tipper truck, a three tonne dumper and its first JCB. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, it expanded its activities into Inverness, Nairn, and Aberdeenshire.[4]
During 1989, the business made a major move via the acquisition of a similar business based in Aberdeen.[4] The move made the newly-enlarged Robertson Group the fastest-growing company based in Scotland at that time, as well as in the top ten such companies in the UK. There were some project issues related to the acquisition relating to insufficient accountability that impacted short-term profitability as Robertson Group identified and improved its running.[4] The next major event that bolstered the company's fortunes was the introduction of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) model, which saw private companies getting involved to a greater degree in the public sector. For Robertson Group, this initially led to the company building houses in Moray on behalf of the Ministry of Defence during the late 1990s.[4]
During 1998, having deciding to pursue further PFI work due to the favourable margins offered, Robertson Group established its own facilities management operation.[4] It would successfully secure several such arrangements; the resulting construction work from the PFI projects made up a considerable proportion of the overall business' growth through the 2000s, which was particularly strong, although this trend would not last as the PFI model fell out of political favour around 2010. The company reported built 63 schools, 11 hospitals, and several housing projects across England under the PFI model.[4]
The 2007–2008 financial crisis and the ensuring Great Recession proved to be challenging for Robertson Group.[4] In general, Banks abruptly became less keen to lend money to construction companies, and the business was no exception. In light of this, Robertson Group decided to change its finance model and sell off several investments that it had made, including in the PFI sector.[4] Nevertheless, the company continued to pursue geographical expansion.[5]
By 2016, Robertson Group reportedly employed 1,800 people (over 700 of these staff were employed in its facilities management operation alone) and recorded a turnover of roughly £300 million.[4] Two years later, the company underwent restructuring, which included the spinning off of its housebuilding businesses.[6] In late 2018, year-on-year turnover rose by roughly one third, from £565.4 million to £752.4 million, which was largely attributed to several major projects undertaken by the firm.[7][8]
Founder Bill Robertson, who had long served as the company's chief executive officer (CEO),[9][10] stood down during the late 2010s. During January 2020, Elliot Robertson was appointed as the company's CEO.[11]
Major projects[edit]
Major projects undertaken by the company have included:
- New Craigs Psychiatric Hospital in Inverness, completed in 2000[12]
- Chester-le-Street Hospital in County Durham, completed in 2003[13]
- County Community Hospital at Invergordon, completed in 2005[14]
- St George's Park Health Centre in Morpeth, completed in 2006[15]
- Midlothian Community Hospital in Bonnyrigg, completed in 2010[16]
- Murray Royal Hospital in Perth, completed in 2012[17]
- Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall, completed in 2019[18]
- The Event Complex Aberdeen, completed in 2019 [19]
- Inverness Justice Centre completed in 2020[20]
- Poseidon Strategic Facility at RAF Lossiemouth, completed in 2020[21]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Annual Report 2021". Robertson Group. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Top 10 Construction Companies in Scotland". Glenigan. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Robertson Group founder Bill Robertson knighted". Scottish Construction Now. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Northrop, Alasdair (6 March 2017). "The Big Profile: Bill Robertson, Robertson Group".
- ^ Hill, Nick (14 December 2015). "Robertson Construction target £50m turnover for newly opened Sheffield office". bdaily.co.uk.
- ^ GARNER-PURKIS, ZAK (9 March 2018). "Robertson to spin off housebuilding businesses". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ PRICE, DAVID (6 September 2018). "Robertson Group big projects drive revenue hike". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ Donnelly, Brian (24 December 2019). "Robertson hails 'good year, meeting challenges'". heraldscotland.com.
- ^ "Robertson chief: Grenfell has put onus on quality". constructionnews.co.uk. 22 September 2017.
- ^ "No. 58358". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2007. p. 8.
- ^ PRICE, DAVID (14 January 2020). "Robertson reveals new CEO and FD". constructionnews.co.uk.
- ^ "New Craigs set to be location for midwifery hub in Highland capital". Northern Times. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "New hospital opens its doors". BBC News. 18 November 2003. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "County Community Hospital, Invergordon". Sunday Post. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "The big move starts at new hospital". NewPost Leader. 15 May 2006. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019.
- ^ "Robertson Breaks Ground For New £18m Midlothian Community Hospital". Build Scotland. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "New chapter opens at Murray Royal". Daily Record. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "NHS Orkney hospital tops out". Scottish Construction Now. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Aberdeen's new £333 million event complex will officially be named P&J LIVE". Press and Journal. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Inverness Justice Centre". Scape. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Defence Secretary launches £132m Scots sub-hunting aircraft home". Royal Air Force. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
