Willmott Dixon is aiming to build a £1.5bn construction business, a target that compares with £1.03bn of turnover last year. Defence and healthcare are expected to lead the expansion, while the contractor says work won in the first half provides the foundation for revenue growth from 2027.
The company secured £747m of new work by the end of July, 89% of it under main contract. Chief executive Graham Dundas said the priority for the year had been to convert a record level of preconstruction appointments into main contracts, creating secure and visible revenue for 2027 and beyond.
In the six months to June, group pre-tax profit increased 15% to £11.5m. Revenue edged down to £545m from £548m as major starts took time to come through. Willmott Dixon ended the period with a £1.37bn secured order book and more than £3.5bn of identified workload, giving a total pipeline of around £5bn. The total pipeline combines the secured order book with identified workload.
The balance sheet also strengthened. Cash reached £127m, the group carries no debt and shareholders’ funds stood at a record £190m. Those figures support the financial resilience that Dundas argues clients are increasingly weighing when they select contractors.
Education provides largest wins
Education delivered the biggest contract wins in the period. They were led by the £93m College of North West London campus at Wembley and the £58m Mosslands secondary school. Other secured work includes £28m of affordable homes at Princes Gate in Oldham for Muse, Portsmouth’s £22m Bransbury Park Leisure Centre and the £16m Bath Fire Station.
Frameworks remain the main engine of orders, generating around 90% of new work. The concentration shows how framework agreements continue to shape the contractor’s pipeline, even as the group targets expansion in defence and healthcare.
Cost pressures remain
Dundas warned that cost pressures are still squeezing customers and suppliers. He said global conflicts continue to push up energy, fuel and material costs, adding that financial resilience and a proven delivery record matter more than ever when customers choose who to work with.
The relaunched Willmott Dixon Developments arm is also pursuing growth through public sector regeneration partnerships. Its most recent win is the £100m Baytree Shopping Centre scheme in Brentwood with Milligan.
For the construction division, the growth plan rests on converting that pipeline into signed work while managing cost inflation across the supply chain. The company says the secured workload gives it visible revenue for 2027 and beyond, providing the base for its £1.5bn ambition.