Temporary works specialist Independent Design House Group (IDHG) has acquired rival Clarkebond (UK) Ltd in a move that nearly trebles its staff numbers and boosts estimated annual turnover to more than £10m.
The move sees 90 Clarkebond staff join IDHG bringing the firm’s total headcount to 140 working out of offices in London, Maidstone, Bristol, Exeter, Darlington, Ireland and Poland.
CEO Tim Burt said the deal would “super charge” the firm’s ambition to expand in the permanent works market.
He said: “Between us, we have very little over-lap in customers due to the different RIBA stages we generally operate in, although both of our competences are required by each of our traditional customer bases.
“Clarkebond will add a large capacity for traditional IDHG customers, especially in the D&B markets, to collaborate on more holistic project delivery.
“Respectively, IDHG will add a Temporary Works competence to Clarkebond at the early stages of planning and project development.”
Ian Fernandes-Johnson, IDHG managing director, added: “Adding the skills and strengths of Clarkebond to our existing capabilities will be a game changer. The move transitions IDHG to a multi-disciplined engineering consultancy, providing services from concept through to construction on site.
“In my very first meeting with the Clarkebond team, my overriding impression was how much they care about the work they deliver, which resonated with me and the IDH approach. Exciting times indeed.”
Neil Marks, Clarkebond Commercial Director, added: “The opportunities that this deal provides for our staff, the additional services that both companies can now offer and the additional infrastructure that IDHG brings to the Company aligns with our vision to provide outstanding engineering for communities and place.
“It will increase our competitiveness so that Clarkebond can continue in pursuit of that vision and grow to be a stronger and more resilient company.”
