German discounter Aldi is sticking with bricks and mortar expansion plans aiming to open another 100 stores across the UK over the next two years.

The group, which is now the fifth biggest supermarket operator in the UK, will also expand its logistics infrastructure, including a new 1.3m sq ft site in Leicestershire, as part of a £1.3bn spend.

Work will start on the £100m national distribution centre project early next year with Birmingham warehouse specialist DSP Construction Management tipped for the project.


Aldi has been given the go-ahead to build a vast new warehouse on a 72 acre site at Nailstone Colliery in Coalville

The supermarket, which has over 920 UK stores, will also trial a new Aldi checkout-free concept store in Greenwich, London.

This will use a system of cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence to identify the items customers take from shelves, avouding the need to go through a checkout.

In its annual trading update, Aldi said sales in the UK and Ireland had grown 10.2% to a record £13.5bn last year while profit dipped 2.5% to £265m.

Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “As well as delivering record sales last year, we continued to invest for growth, deploying over £600m in stores and distribution centres across the UK. This helped to create thousands of much-needed jobs and support for British farmers and manufacturers.”

Met Police and officers in Romania arrested 13 men on Tuesday morning in a series of raids as part of a major investigation into human trafficking.

Following the raids 54 men and one male juvenile have been safeguarded

The investigation was launched by detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command in August 2019 after intelligence highlighted a Romanian organised crime group (OCG) operating between Romania and the UK.

Romanian adult nationals have been recruited and trafficked to the Kingsbury area of north London to work on building sites as unskilled labourers.

Four warrants were executed in Harrow and Brent. Cash and a firearm were also seized.

The males were found housed in multi-occupancy addresses with mattresses covering the whole floor space. Occupants were found sleeping in extremely cramped conditions. They are now receiving support from specialist officers.

Eight men have been arrested in London for human trafficking. They have been taken to a north London police station.

A further five men were arrested in Romania where gold and around 250,000 Euros were seized from the OCG.

Those arrested are aged between 22 and 49 years old. They have been arrested for a variety of offences, including causing another to complete forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking contrary to the modern slavery act 2015.

Detective Constable Dec Wilson, from Central Specialist Crime, said: “These arrests in the UK and abroad are the result of working closely with our partners in Romania for the past 18 months, to identify those involved in the human trafficking and labour exploitation.

“This Eurojust Joint Investigation Team should serve as a warning to other organised crime networks that the Met is committed to working with international law enforcement to target those committing modern day slavery offences in London.

“We need the public’s help as they have an important role to play in recognising and reporting modern slavery. If you suspect someone may be a victim of modern slavery, report it. You will always be taken seriously, and protection and support is available.

“Often those affected do not see themselves as potential victims of labour exploitation and many will have been coerced into this life to make money for an organised crime network.

“We believe there are victims of modern slavery in every borough across London and the public may encounter them every day, possibly without realising.

“As well as being exploited for labour, victims have been found working in construction, domestic servitude, agriculture, cannabis factories and in places you use yourself, such as car washes, barbers and nail bars.”

Police said their enquiries are continuing.

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Grham Construction has started enabling works for the £20m extension to the Houndshill shopping centre in Blackpool.

First phase enabling works will involve initial utilities diversion works and preparations at the Tower Street site for the main building works to follow.

The Houndshill Phase 2 extension, which has secured £5m from the Government’s Covid 19 Get Britain Building, fund will deliver a fresh range of entertainment, retail and leisure facilities.

This will include a new multi-screen cinema complex with conferencing facilites.

It will involve constructing 76,500 sq. ft. of extra commercial floorspace on the 5-acre brownfield site and sustain around 260 construction jobs.

The council acquired the Houndshill Shopping Centre in for £47.6m two years ago as part of its long-term strategy to revitalise the town centre.

The phase two extension will also include two restaurants totalling 3,760 sq ft that will be delivered to shell specification.

 

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King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP) has appointed McLaren Construction as main contractor on its latest commercial and residential development at the 67-acre central London site.

Confirmation of the appointment comes just months after McLaren handed over the Luma residential building at Kings Cross.

The new R8 building will comprise two 13-storey blocks linked by a two-storey podium garden with landscaped roof gardens for users of both buildings.

To the east is a residential building of 72 apartments and the western block contains 170,000 sq ft of office space with retail on the ground floor.

KCCLP has entered into a management agreement with The Office Group, the premium flexible workspace provider, which will see them partner to create the largest – and the first purpose-built – design-led, flexible workspace in King’s Cross within these new buildings.

John Butten, Regional Managing Director for the Major Projects division at McLaren Construction, said: “McLaren’s projects at King’s Cross give a snapshot of the depth of capability in one of London’s largest regeneration projects since the 19th century.

“Following on from the high specification apartments in Luma we are now applying the same build quality to more homes, offices and retail.

“This must be one of the most visible regeneration projects in the UK. That makes our repeat work at King’s Cross an important showcase for our can-do culture and aim of always exceeding clients’ expectations.”

The new buildings’ design, by Piercy & Co, draws inspiration from industrial warehouses, with exposedinishes and spacious high ceilings.

It will be delivered by McLaren using fast modern construction methods, such as a unitised façade system on the commercial block. Lighting by 18 Degrees will also be

carefully integrated to avoid exterior lighting poles.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2024.

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Contractors are being invited to bid for a £25m coastal defence scheme to save large parts of Cardiff from floods.

Cardiff Council is planning to replace existing defences along the mouth of the Rhymney River, due to erosion and growing risks of flooding from climate change.

The plans include putting 100,000 tonnes of rock on the coastline, raising the riverbank behind and raising embankments next to a highway.

Works could begin on site by next Spring, and finish by October 2023. The Welsh Government will fund 85% of the works with the council paying the rest.Firms wishing to express an interest in bidding can click here.

Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £52m contract by National Grid to deliver essential cabling works as part of the London Power Tunnels 2 project.

Balfour delivered the cabling works for phase one of the project, north of the Thames, in 2017 and will now start on the second phase of the scheme to ‘rewire London and connect with the capital’.

Works will include installing 200km of 400kV cables within a 32.5-kilometer tunnel network, deep below the ground between Wimbledon and Crayford.

Connecting several substations across the city, the cables will run through an underground tunnel network to minimise disruption to local communities and the travelling public when future maintenance and repair works are required.

Balfour Beatty will deploy the second generation of its Automated Cable Installation Equipment (ACIE) machine.

Developed in-house and utilised on the first phase of the scheme, the second-generation machine features laser sensors and cameras to improve the speed and quality of the works.

The ACIE has also revolutionised the safety of tunnel cable installation works by reducing the number of people required within the underground tunnels manually installing the cables.

Ian Currie, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission and Distribution business said: “We are delighted to be working with National Grid once again. Our world leading expertise and innovation in tunnel cable installation, combined with our deep sector knowledge, makes us ideally positioned to successfully deliver this critical piece of national infrastructure.”

Cable installation work will begin in January 2023 with the full package of works expected to be completed in 2026. At peak construction, Balfour Beatty will employ a workforce of around 150 people, as well as approximately eight apprentices.

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National Highways has confirmed the five companies shortlisted for two road contracts worth a combined £1.9bn to design and build routes north and south of the river on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing.

The bidders being invited to tender are:

Kent Roads (Lot 1 – £600m)BFV JV; comprising of BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Construction (UK) Ltd and VINCI Construction Grands Projets CostainKier Eiffage (KEJV); comprising of Kier Highways and Eiffage Génie CivilSkanska Construction UK

Roads North of the Thames (Lot 2 – £1.3bn)

Balfour Beatty Civil EngineeringKier Eiffage (KEJV); comprising of Kier Highways and Eiffage Génie Civil

The £600m Kent Roads contract is a two-stage design and build contract for the part of the route from the A2/M2 corridor to 1km south of the southern tunnel entrance, with strategic utilities and environmental interfaces

The £1.3 billion Roads North of the Thames contract, is also a two-stage design and build contract delivering the route from 1km north of the northern tunnel entrance to Junction 29 of the M25. New link roads are required to connect the route with the M25, A13 and A1089

The shortlist for the £2bn tunnel contract connecting the two roads was revealed earlier this year.

The successful bidders will design and build a total of 14.3 miles of new roads that will connect the longest road tunnel in the UK to the strategic road network.

Matt Palmer, Lower Thames Crossing Executive Director, said “The Lower Thames Crossing is the most ambitious road project this country has seen since the M25 was completed 35 years ago.

“These contracts show our commitment to this project, which will support 22,000 jobs during its construction and provide a huge economic boost to the UK economy when it opens for traffic.

“Our challenge is to build a new crossing that not only supports the next generation of low carbon vehicles but also allows us to enhance the natural environment and leave a positive legacy for generations to come.

“We look forward to this next stage of the procurement process with the five shortlisted companies and hope the final bids match our aspirations.”

 

Scottish civils contractor Akela Group is moving into the English market with the opening of a new division in Leeds.

The new North of England hub will lead expansion plans outside of Akela’s traditional Scottish base.

The firm expects its business to grow by 10% over the next two years as a result of the move.

The new Leeds team will be led by Construction Manager, Martin Leahy, who brings over 15 years industry experience having previously worked with the Robertson Group and Laing O’Rourke.

Group company Akela Ground Engineering has secured its first contract at Knaresborough in the North of Yorkshire and is currently tendering for a variety of new housing and commercial build contracts throughout the county.

Across Scotland the Akela Group currently employs 300 staff providing civil engineering, construction, piling and training services.

Mark Markey, Akela Group Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to see our long term ambition to expand and grow the company in front of a UK audience come to fruition. We are seeing increased levels of demand for the wide range of ground engineering and civil engineering services, particularly in the North of England and we are well placed to meet that growing demand.

“The opening of the Leeds hub presents an excellent growth opportunity for the Akela Group and it will bring an abundance of employment opportunities and economic benefits to the region and beyond.”

Leahy said: “It’s an exciting time for the Akela Group and there is a huge opportunity to grow the business in the North and I am delighted to be leading the team at the new Leeds hub.

“I am passionate about collaboration and delivering insightful solutions for clients and l look forward to working on a wide range of projects as we realise the growth ambitions in the North of England.”

Site equipment specialist Nixon Hire has announced an investment  by Pricoa Private Capital in the business.

Pricoa is the private capital business of Prudential Financial, Inc – one of the largest life insurance and  financial services firms in the world.

This deal benefits customers, employees and industry stakeholders as the investment accelerates  Nixon Hire’s growth strategy. The directors and senior management team will also be invested in the company alongside Pricoa.

The partnership with Pricoa was instigated to facilitate the exit of three Nixon Hire shareholders and  consolidate the shareholding of Graham Nixon, CEO and his father, the founder of Nixon Hire, John Nixon.

Graham and John Nixon remain significant majority shareholders and are now looking to take the business to the next level following its 54 year history as a 100% family owned company.

Graham Nixon, CEO of Nixon Hire said: “We have significant ambitions for the business and this partnership will enable us to accelerate our  strategic plans to retain and attract new talent as well as grow our product and depot network. We will  look to serve our customers better than ever before, as we invest further in our business.

“It’s a great balance, we have the benefit of remaining a family business as well as access to the  expertise of Pricoa.

“We warmly welcome Pricoa as a strategic partner and are excited to work with them to unlock the  further potential of Nixon Hire.”

Ed Barker, Senior Vice President at Pricoa, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Graham and his team, and we match their ambitions to grow Nixon whilst remaining true to the heritage of the business.

“Pricoa’s strategy is based on close  relationships with strong management teams and solid companies, and we hope to be able to help  Nixon on the next step of its strategic journey. This investment is positive for all Nixon stakeholders  and we look forward to continuing the business’ long-established positive presence in the UK  equipment hire markets.”

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Firefighters battled a blaze on Wednesday afternoon at the £120m Milburngate development in Durham being built by Tolent.

County Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue said the blaze broke out in a cavity wall.

Eight crews tackled the blaze which also led to nearby road closures in the city centre throughout the day.

Tolent is delivering the first phase of the mixed-use development where the structural steel frame reached completion in March.

The contractor said the site was safely evacuated.

Andy Mills, 49, a curtain wall installer who had been working on the site told the Sunderland Echo: “All of a suden it just went ‘whoosh’ with massive black clouds of smoke. We were on the third floor, the alarm had been sounded by then so we ran out to get to the muster point.

“It happened so quickly, it was unreal. I’ve never seen anything like it how fast it went up, really fast. We couldn’t breathe when running down the stairs and had to cover our faces. Luckily enough everyone I know got out safely.”

Phase One of the scheme is due for completion in the first quarter of 2022.

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