Willmott Dixon is aiming for a £1.5bn construction business, with defence and healthcare expected to lead the expansion after the contractor turned a record stack of preconstruction appointments into signed main contracts.
Group pre-tax profit rose 15% to £11.5m in the six months to June, even though revenue edged down to £545m from £548m as major job starts took time to come through.
By the end of July the group had secured £747m of new work, 89% of it under main contract. Chief executive Graham Dundas said the priority for the year had been converting the record level of preconstruction appointments into main contracts, which he said provides secure and visible revenue for 2027 and beyond.
The construction division, which posted £1.03bn of turnover last year, is now targeting growth from 2027, with £1.5bn as the goal. The group holds a secured order book of £1.37bn alongside more than £3.5bn of identified workload, taking the total pipeline to roughly £5bn.
Education generated the largest awards, led by the £93m College of North West London campus at Wembley and the £58m Mosslands secondary school. The order book also includes £28m of affordable homes at Princes Gate in Oldham for Muse, the £22m Bransbury Park Leisure Centre in Portsmouth and the £16m Bath Fire Station.
Frameworks remain the main route to work, accounting for around 90% of new orders. The group's cash position strengthened to £127m with no debt, and shareholders' funds reached a record £190m.
Dundas cautioned that cost pressures were still weighing on customers and supply chain partners, pointing to global conflicts that continue to push up energy, fuel and material prices. In that climate, he said, clients place more weight than ever on financial resilience and a proven delivery record when choosing who to work with.
Separately, the relaunched Willmott Dixon Developments arm is seeking growth through public sector regeneration partnerships, most recently securing the £100m Baytree Shopping Centre scheme in Brentwood with Milligan.