Moray Timber is planning to transfer its sawmill operation from Elgin to the Waterford Industrial Estate in Forres, with the creation of 20 jobs. [31-Dec-1999]
Jarvis is acquiring Trafiroad, the Belgian road marking and maintenance company, for up to £8.5m, as part of a strategy to expand its facilities management business into continental Europe. [31-Dec-1999]
Artisan, the housebuilder and contractor, is to invest in property-related internet businesses, starting with the acquisition of a 15% stake in Partners in Property Solutions. [24-Dec-1999]
Ennstone is seeking to acquire full ownership of Blockleys, in a deal that values the building blocks company at about £9m. [24-Dec-1999]
SIG, the insulation distributor, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. [21-Dec-1999]
Minerva is raising £71m in a rights issue, in order to fund the expansion of its property investment business. [18-Dec-1999]
John Nixon, the Newcastle-based hirer, is planning to open three new depots, following a £3.5m investment in new equipment. [16-Dec-1999]
Burn Fireclay, the Morpeth-based brick manufacturer, has closed with the loss of more than 70 jobs. [16-Dec-1999]
Capital & Regional Properties is in discussions to sell its industrial property subsidiary to JER International of the US, and the proceeds are expected to be invested in shopping centre assets. [11-Dec-1999]
WS Atkins has acquired Benham, the Oklahoma-based architectural company, for £32m, which will increase its US headcount from 60 to 800. [11-Dec-1999]
Hanson has acquired two US companies - aggregates producer Olin Jones Sand and sand producer Brewer - for a total £34m. [10-Dec-1999]
Peterhouse, the construction services company, is to acquire Eve, the access systems hirer, for £40m. [10-Dec-1999]
Plymouth City Council has approved a £2.8m plan to expand the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at the Tamar Science Park, with the creation of 175 scientific jobs. [09-Dec-1999]
Thomas Vale Construction of Stourport is recruiting 100 extra workers, having won contracts worth more than £8m. [09-Dec-1999]
Brown Lenox, the Pontypridd-based manufacturer of crushing equipment for stone quarries, is to close next year with the loss of nearly 90 jobs, although some jobs will be transferred to other sites owned by parent company Terex. [08-Dec-1999]
White Young Green has bought the consulting engineering business of Irish company Gibson O'Connor, and will create a new subsidiary called White Young Green Ireland. [06-Dec-1999]
Lend Lease, Amec, and Argent have been shortlisted by London & Continental Railways as potential planners to redevelop a 50-acre site at King's Cross in London, which will be the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. [03-Dec-1999]
WS Atkins is looking to make an acquisition in the US over the next few months, in order to expand its international consulting engineer and facilities management business. [03-Dec-1999]
Baldwins has announced plans to expand its Loadtite crane maintenance subsidiary with four new depots over the next six months. [02-Dec-1999]
Blue Circle is negotiating the acquisition of a 74% stake in Alexandria Portland Cement of Egypt, in a £120m deal. [01-Dec-1999]
Evans Concrete, the Derbyshire-based concrete company, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, and expects to create 10 new jobs. [29-Nov-1999]
Barlows, the Chester-based property developer, is acquiring Hallamshire Investments for £12m. [29-Nov-1999]
Hanson is planning to acquire Pioneer International, the Australian aggregates group, for about £1.5bn. [29-Nov-1999]
Benchmark Building Supplies has acquired Bolton-based Crompton Building Supplies, in order to expand its business in the Greater Manchester area. [26-Nov-1999]
BPB expects to shed a further 400 jobs with increasing automation in its plasterboard business, and is also planning to spend £150m on complementary product acquisitions. [26-Nov-1999]
Epwin, the building products company, is to undergo a £44m management buy-out, a move prompted by its low stock market rating. [26-Nov-1999]
Matbro is setting up a new base to sell Terex lifting equipment at Tetbury in Gloucestershire. [25-Nov-1999]
Clugston Construction has acquired Ferro Monk Systems, the Yorkshire-based drainage specialist, for undisclosed terms. [25-Nov-1999]
Meyer International is to cut 500 jobs at its builders merchants outlets, including 160 at its administrative centre in Norwich. [25-Nov-1999]
Birchwood Concrete Products is to expand its pre-cast flooring and stairs manufacturing operation following the opening of a new £3m factory in Somercotes. [24-Nov-1999]
Blackwell Shopfitting is to close its Braintree-based joinery business with the loss of 40 jobs. [24-Nov-1999]
Vico Properties, the Glasgow-based property developer, is to open an office in Durham in order to increase its interest in retail and leisure developments in the north-east of England. [24-Nov-1999]
Finlay Block Making Equipment is planning a £2.9m expansion at its factory in Tyrone with the creation of about 40 jobs. [24-Nov-1999]
Caradon is to sell its 94% stake in Weru, the German doors and windows business, to management for £78m, in order to focus on plumbing, aluminium extrusions, electrical products and cheque printing. [23-Nov-1999]
BPB is to invest £33m in the acquisition of a stake of up to 75% in Thai Gypsum Products and to raise its stake in Shanghai Orient Gypsum. [20-Nov-1999]
Castle Cement has halved an investment plan for its cement works in Clitheroe from £15m to £8m due to an expected fall in demand. [19-Nov-1999]
Elliott Workspace, the mobile accommodation specialist, is planning further expansion for its chain of 23 hire centres, having opened new outlets in Southampton, Swindon and Cardiff. [18-Nov-1999]
Pascon, the Hampshire-based plant hire company, has undergone a £17m management buy-out and is changing its name to Selwood Group. [18-Nov-1999]
Fearnley Construction of Manchester has collapsed with the loss of about 50 jobs. [18-Nov-1999]
Interframe is to expand its windows and doors factory in Paignton with the creation of 20 new jobs, and has just undergone a management buy-out. [16-Nov-1999]
MEPC is planning a £70m joint venture with local developer Intercity JIS to build two industrial parks in Liverpool, with the creation of about 4,000 jobs, and it will target motor component and pharmaceutical manufacturers. [16-Nov-1999]
Hanson is acquiring two US companies for £45m - aggregates producer BR DeWitt and concrete producer Superior. [16-Nov-1999]
WS Atkins has acquired Yeoman & Edwards, the quantity surveying practice, for £1.3m. [16-Nov-1999]
Tulloch has sold its 50% stake in Thistle Aggregates to joint venture partner Ennstone Thistle, in a £0.3m deal that includes sand and gravel deposits at two quarries near Nairn and Inverness. [11-Nov-1999]
Hills Electrical has opened a regional office in Cambridge, and is also planning a new office in Glasgow. [11-Nov-1999]
Rugby Group is acquiring a 51% stake in Embra, the Norwegian cement company, for £31m. [10-Nov-1999]
RMC has launched a £896m takeover bid for the Rugby cement group, which will strengthen its position in the UK and Poland and add a presence in Australia. [09-Nov-1999]
Tarmac has agreed a £1.2bn takeover bid from Anglo American, the South African mining company, and the combined group will seek acquisitions in continental Europe. [06-Nov-1999]
British Gypsum is to acquire a 70% stake in Thai Gypsum for $51m. [05-Nov-1999]
Highland Council is to consider plans for the development of a quarry on the shores of Loch Eriboll near Durness, to produce pegmatite, quartzite and marble for export. [04-Nov-1999]
Kingspan has sold Ratby-based Bennett Windows and Cannock-based Thomas Lowe Joinery to a management buy-out for £4m. [04-Nov-1999]
Hartington Conway of Coventry has acquired Ritchlight, the manufacturer of architectural rooflights, for undisclosed terms. [04-Nov-1999]
Birse has sold the Aberdeen-based engine refurbishment division of its plant hire subsidiary to Rentair for £2.5m. [04-Nov-1999]
Palgrave Brown has acquired the Allan Brothers joinery business in Berwick from Rugby Group for £2.7m. [04-Nov-1999]
Aggregate Industries has reorganised its US aggregates business by acquiring Golden's of Colorado for £37m and by selling Commercial Products of North and South Carolina to RMC for £7m. [02-Nov-1999]
Rugby Group, the building materials company, has received an approach from an unnamed company that could lead to a takeover offer. [02-Nov-1999]
Tamdown, the Braintree-based groundworks contractor with 300 employees, has undergone a management buy-out. [30-Oct-1999]
Pilkington has announced plans to cut a further 2,000 jobs and close a third North American glass plant, as part of an ongoing cost-reduction programme. [29-Oct-1999]
Tilbury Douglas has sold its Hevilifts jacking and propping business to Hydratight Sweeney for undisclosed terms. [29-Oct-1999]
John Laing is to cut 850 jobs in its construction division and aims to reduce its exposure to low-margin high-risk projects. [28-Oct-1999]
Travis Perkins is acquiring Sharpe & Fisher for £76m, in order to strengthen its chain of builders merchants in the west of England and south Wales. [26-Oct-1999]
Tarmac has acquired Moffatts, the operator of quarries in the west of Northern Ireland, for £6m. [25-Oct-1999]
Hull City Council has announced a £220m capital works programme, the largest the city has ever seen, including work on housing, schools, local services and a new stadium. [23-Oct-1999]
RMC is acquiring a 50% stake in UK cement importer Seament and two US aggregates businesses for a total £60m. [23-Oct-1999]
Withey Group of Borehamwood has acquired contractor CJ Smith in order to complement its construction and shopfitting business. [21-Oct-1999]
Rugby Group is to merge its US building materials supplies business with Huttig, a subsidiary of Crane, and the new company will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. [21-Oct-1999]
Broombys, the Cumbria-based builders merchant with 256 staff, has put itself up for sale. [16-Oct-1999]
Midas, the construction and property services group, has relocated its regional headquarters to new premises in Bristol. [15-Oct-1999]
Andrews Sykes, the plant hire group, is cutting 60 administrative jobs and changing its top management in response to a fall in profits. [15-Oct-1999]
Rugby Estates is looking to expand its property holdings in the London area by setting up six joint ventures with undisclosed construction and software companies. [14-Oct-1999]
James Latham is to sell its timber and building supplies operation to Grafton for £8m, in order to focus on timber importing and distribution. [14-Oct-1999]
Prestbury is planning to expand its portfolio of warehouse properties in order to benefit from the rise in mail-order retailing, starting with the purchase of the former British Shoe headquarters near Leicester for £29m. [14-Oct-1999]
White Young Green has acquired Tilney Simmons for £2.3m, in order to expand its mechanical and electrical consulting business in the south of England. [14-Oct-1999]
MEPC is forming a joint venture with GE Capital to own and manage its £200m portfolio of smaller properties. [12-Oct-1999]
Blue Circle is selling its heating division to Baxi Partnership for £480m, and has also announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Heracles Cement of Greece for £388m. [11-Oct-1999]
Delancey Estates, the property company, is planning a £150m joint venture with the JER International investment fund in order to clear the way for its takeover of Milner Estates. [11-Oct-1999]
Kvaerner is negotiating a management buy-out for its fabrication and bridge building business, which includes operations in Darlington, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. [11-Oct-1999]
Derry Building Services is to set up a new headquarters at Newark's former general hospital, and will relocate at least 35 staff from its William Street offices. [08-Oct-1999]
GAP Group has acquired Munro Tool Hire of Elgin for undisclosed terms. [08-Oct-1999]
WS Atkins has acquired Ventron Technology, the Stockport-based process engineer, for £2.3m. [08-Oct-1999]
Aggregate Industries has acquired Concrete Services, the US concrete supplier, for £12m. [08-Oct-1999]
Alpha Timber Frame of Tredegar has doubled the size of its timber frame manufacturing base at the Tafarnaubach Industrial Estate with the purchase of the adjoining factory. [07-Oct-1999]
Kingerlee, the Oxford-based construction company, is to relocate to a new £2m headquarters in Kidlington, where it will also operate a joinery manufacturing facility. [07-Oct-1999]
Norcros, the building materials and chemicals supplier, has agreed a £171m management buy-out. [07-Oct-1999]
Miller Group is to acquire Cussins Property Group for £23m, as part of the Edinburgh-based company's strategy to expand its housebuilding business throughout the country. [06-Oct-1999]
Tarmac is planning to spend up to £100m a year on investment and acquisitions in order to expand its building materials business, and it aims to double the size of its operations in continental Europe. [06-Oct-1999]
Brandon Hire has acquired two new tool hire businesses - 4R in Caerphilly and the Reigate Hire Centre in Surrey - taking its total branch network to 78. [05-Oct-1999]
Wragge & Co has acquired the Neil F Jones firm of Birmingham to create one of the country's largest construction law practices. [05-Oct-1999]
P&O is selling its Bovis construction business to Lend Lease of Australia for £285m, having decided not to proceed with plans for a flotation. [05-Oct-1999]
Aukett Associates is to buy the remaining 50% of Aukett Kokon Beltman for £0.6m, in order to expand its building design consultancy in the Netherlands. [04-Oct-1999]
Tarmac has acquired Situsec, the Greenwich-based asphalt company, for £9.5m. [04-Oct-1999]
SLD Genlite, the Leeds-based plant hire company, has merged with SLD Pumps and Chiller Rental Services in a £80m management buy-in deal backed by NatWest Equity Partners. [01-Oct-1999]
Vanbots, the Canadian construction management group, is seeking offices along the M4 corridor, having won a contract for Honda's car plant expansion in Swindon. [30-Sep-1999]
Accordial has acquired Brockhouse Modernfold, the Worcester-based partition manufacturer. [30-Sep-1999]
Ennstone's Natural Building Materials subsidiary is to acquire Burford Quarrying of Oxfordshire for £4m. [30-Sep-1999]
Pilkington is planning to build a £80m glass plant in western France, due for completion by 2002. [28-Sep-1999]
Devon County Council is considering plans from Bardon Aggregates to double the size of Venn Quarry near Landkey. [25-Sep-1999]
Haslam Homes is relocating its East Midlands headquarters from Alfreton to Kegworth with the creation of up to 30 jobs, as part of a strategy to expand its housebuilding business in the region. [24-Sep-1999]
Edmund Nuttall is considering plans to launch a rescue bid for Norfolk-based contractor John Martin Construction. [23-Sep-1999]
Pascon has sold its Palmers scaffolding division to Thyssen UK for up to £30m. [23-Sep-1999]
Unite Group of Bristol is planning to expand its refurbishment business throughout the country, and will specialise in converting buildings into student accommodation. [22-Sep-1999]
Tilbury Douglas is planning to close the Kwikform scaffolding factory in Birmingham with the loss of 85 jobs, and the equipment will be sourced from elsewhere. [17-Sep-1999]
Alpha Plant, the Gravesend-based plant hire company, has opened a new depot in Milton Keynes as part of a strategy to extend its network northwards. [16-Sep-1999]
Ainscough has acquired Plant Installations, the Glasgow-based machinery removal company, for undisclosed terms. [16-Sep-1999]
Tarmac has bought Marley Paving, the concrete block and paving business, from Brussels-based Etex for £26m. [16-Sep-1999]
P&O is to float its Bovis construction business next month, six months earlier than expected, and it is expected to be valued at up to £350m. [15-Sep-1999]
Peterhouse is aiming to triple the size of its construction services business over the next nine months, by acquiring companies in areas such as health and safety, rail contracting, and environmental services. [15-Sep-1999]
John Mowlem is planning to sell its 51% stake in the SGB scaffolding business, which could be worth about £100m. [10-Sep-1999]
Hewden Stuart has acquired Elmore Plant Services, the Mitcham-based subsidiary of Wates Construction, for £7.4m. [09-Sep-1999]
Aggregate Industries is looking to spend up to £100m on acquisitions in the second half of this year, in order to expand its aggregates and downstream operations. [08-Sep-1999]
SIG is looking to spend up to £100m on acquisitions to expand its insulation materials business. [07-Sep-1999]
Interior Services Group has acquired Care Services, the facilities management company, for up to £12m. [04-Sep-1999]
Baldwins Industrial Services is to acquire Phillips Crane & Rigging of the US for £7.8m. [04-Sep-1999]
Whitecroft has sold Leaderflush & Shapland, the Nottingham-based safety doors business, to management for £14m. [03-Sep-1999]
Heywood Williams has acquired BCE Cellular Extrusions, the supplier of PVCu building products, from Rugby Group for £11m. [03-Sep-1999]
Davis Service is planning to open about 25 HSS tool hire branches a year, and may consider franchising the concept in the US. [03-Sep-1999]
Bett Brothers has sold its precast concrete division to the Hillhead Quarry Company for £1.1m. [02-Sep-1999]
Berkeley Homes is relocating about 80 staff from Westerham to a new office in Sevenoaks in December, in order to provide more space for the expansion of its house building business in the region. [01-Sep-1999]
Ashtead, the equipment hire company, is to undergo a strategic review which could lead to a joint venture, merger or sale of the business, in order to improve its prospects for expanding in the US market. [01-Sep-1999]
Alfred McAlpine has received a takeover approach from Brunswick Developments, valuing the construction group at £275m. [01-Sep-1999]
Hanson is to acquire the European brick operations of Boral for £59m, in order to strengthen its business in Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. [01-Sep-1999]
Marshalls is planning a £2m marketing campaign to expand its paving products business, and will also restructure its bricks business in order to add about £3m to profits. [01-Sep-1999]
Solaglas is to close its window manufacturing plant in Inverness with the loss of 17 jobs, and the business will be transferred to other parts of the group. [27-Aug-1999]
Kean Kennedy, the Scottish quantity surveyor, has been acquired by Corderoy. [26-Aug-1999]
Red Bank, the Derbyshire-based clay tile manufacturer, has acquired Weatherwell Roof Tile for undisclosed terms. [26-Aug-1999]
White Young Green has acquired Mason Pittendrigh, the Teesside-based consulting engineer, and expects to create up to 30 jobs in order to deal with highways, environmental and rail projects. [25-Aug-1999]
Weatherseal Windows is to create 200 jobs at its headquarters in Winsford, Cheshire, and there will be vacancies in the factory, office and a new call centre. [25-Aug-1999]
Tarmac Quarry Products has submitted plans to East Riding Council to open up a sand and gravel quarry at Little Catwick near Hornsea. [24-Aug-1999]
Brixton Estate has sold its German property portfolio to WestInvest Gesellschaft fur Investmentfonds for £34m, which completes its withdrawal from continental Europe. [24-Aug-1999]
Stancliffe Stone is seeking planning permission to extract 15,000 tonnes a year of sandstone from the dormant Endcliffe and Lees Cross quarries in the Peak District. [20-Aug-1999]
P&O is selling Laing Property of Canada to Cambridge Shopping Centres for £206m, and is now looking to float its Bovis construction business and sell its Earl's Court Olympia exhibitions business. [20-Aug-1999]
Palgrave Brown has acquired two roof truss factories in Darlington and Hampshire, in order to expand its national network of manufacturing and distribution centres. [17-Aug-1999]
RMC is spending £63m on a series of acquisitions to expand its concrete and aggregates business in the US, Malaysia and Northern Ireland, as well as two sand and gravel operations in Leicestershire. [17-Aug-1999]
Pillar Property has sold most of its office properties to The Atlas Limited Partnership for £78m, in order to focus on retail parks. [14-Aug-1999]
Mears is acquiring Haydon, the building maintenance company, from Johnson Controls of the US for up to £6m. [11-Aug-1999]
Brandon Hire has acquired West Hampstead Plant Hire, the operator of two tool hire branches in North London, for £0.8m. [10-Aug-1999]
Tulloch Homes is acquiring MacRae Homes for up to £8m, creating one of the leading housebuilding groups in Scotland. [10-Aug-1999]
Cleveland Glass has relocated its sealed units manufacturing business to a larger site in Stockton, and expects to create additional jobs as it expands into continental Europe. [09-Aug-1999]
Meyer International is to acquire Graham Group, the builders' merchant, for £269m, which will lead to the loss of about 150 administrative jobs. [09-Aug-1999]
Building & Property Group is selling its Unicorn Consultancy Services division to management for £37m. [09-Aug-1999]
S Harrison Construction of Yorkshire is seeking an additional 150 employees over the next six months, as it prepares to double its turnover to £25m this year. [06-Aug-1999]
Hepworth is planning to spend at least £200m on acquisitions to expand its building products business. [06-Aug-1999]
Bovis is acquiring Tanvec, a Surrey-based consultancy that designs building work for the pharmaceutical industry. [05-Aug-1999]
Meyer International has acquired Tudor, the tile distribution company, in a £12m deal. [04-Aug-1999]
Bovis Construction has acquired WR Adams, the US healthcare facilities group, for undisclosed terms. [04-Aug-1999]
Pisani Natural Stone is re-opening the Westhill Granite Works in Aberdeenshire with the creation of 30 jobs. [03-Aug-1999]
GAP Group is planning to set up tool hire depots in Northampton, Nottingham and Derby, and expects to be operating in London within three years. [02-Aug-1999]
Linden is to raise £20m in a share issue in order to expand its housebuilding business into the Bristol area. [31-Jul-1999]
Caradon is set to acquire Easco, the US aluminium extrusions company, for about £100m. [28-Jul-1999]
Birkby is to merge with Mentmore Abbey, the storage space company, in order to benefit from the growing trend among European companies to outsource property-related activities. [28-Jul-1999]
William T Eden, the Kent-based panel products distributor, has been acquired by Sylvan International of Doncaster for about £15m. [27-Jul-1999]
Wolseley has bought four companies for a combined £46m in order to expand its building and plumbing products business, including two in the US, one in Italy and one in the UK. [27-Jul-1999]
Brandon Hire has reached agreement to introduce its tool hire service into 100 Magnet joinery outlets, providing nationwide coverage within three years. [23-Jul-1999]
Persimmon has raised about £96m from institutional investors in order to fund land purchases and the growth of its housebuilding business. [22-Jul-1999]
Blue Circle is acquiring Iligan Cement of the Philippines for £32m, as part of an ongoing expansion in east Asia. [21-Jul-1999]
Mitie, the building services group, is to create up to 500 jobs on Merseyside over the next two years by expanding its cleaning and air conditioning businesses. [20-Jul-1999]
Rugby Group is to sell its joinery operations in the UK and Australia to Jeld-Wen of the US for £86m, and the proceeds will be used to reduce debt and expand its cement business. [20-Jul-1999]
Tarmac is planning to invest £13m in the expansion of its US ready-mix and concrete block operations in Virginia. [20-Jul-1999]
CBL, the Bristol-based construction equipment supplier, is moving from Portishead to a larger facility at Portbury as part of a £3m expansion programme. [19-Jul-1999]
Orkney Builders has sold its quarrying, concrete and road-haulage operations to a management team for undisclosed terms, which includes the transfer of 25 staff. [15-Jul-1999]
WS Atkins has acquired Richard Long Associates, the water industry consultancy. [15-Jul-1999]
Meek Group, the Bristol-based plant hirer, has undergone a £21m management buy-in with the backing of 3i and Barclays Bank. [15-Jul-1999]
Clugston Construction has acquired GL Quine, the Doncaster-based civil engineer, for undisclosed terms. [15-Jul-1999]
Ennstone is raising £11m in a rights issue in order to fund the acquisition of aggregates businesses in England. [14-Jul-1999]
Ashtead is planning to expand its US equipment hire business by setting up on greenfield sites and making small bolt-on acquisitions. [13-Jul-1999]
Alba Windows is building a double glazing factory in Inverness, which will create an additional 25 jobs. [09-Jul-1999]
CRH is acquiring Thompson-McCully, the US aggregates and asphalt supplier, for £218m, in order to gain a base in the mid-west. [09-Jul-1999]
Peterhouse is acquiring ESS, the Wellingborough-based safety equipment and training company, for £3m, in order to build up its services division. [08-Jul-1999]
Tilbury Douglas is to acquire Bandt, the scaffolding and industrial services company, for £75m, as part of a strategy to diversify away from contracting. [08-Jul-1999]
Hanson is acquiring Tidewater Sand & Gravel, the US sea dredger, for £30m. [07-Jul-1999]
Peel Holdings, the property company, is planning to move its Manchester headquarters to the Trafford Centre. [07-Jul-1999]
CRH has acquired two US aggregate companies - Millington Quarry and Dell Contractors - for £91m, and hopes to benefit from an increase in federal highway funding in New Jersey. [06-Jul-1999]
Hepworth is selling its bricks business to Ibstock Building Products for about £10m. [05-Jul-1999]
The government is planning to launch a £250m fund to encourage private sector investment in urban regeneration projects. [03-Jul-1999]
Regus and MEPC have announced a scheme to encourage large companies to sell their properties to MEPC and then lease them back, with Regus providing support services. [03-Jul-1999]
Amey is acquiring Comax, the support services business spun off from the government's defence research agency, for £86m, as part of a strategy to move away from its traditional construction activities. [02-Jul-1999]
Sunderland Council is closing its windows factory at Houghton due to a fall in orders, and efforts are being made to find alternative employment for the 57 workers. [01-Jul-1999]
Customs & Excise has awarded a two-year project management contract to Osprey for refurbishing and relocating up to 350 offices throughout the country. [01-Jul-1999]
John Doyle is to split into two separate companies - one covering construction and building products, and the other concentrating on public sector and PFI work. [01-Jul-1999]
Gateshead Council and the Employment Service have teamed up to recruit the 900 construction workers required for the £400m regeneration of East Gateshead. [29-Jun-1999]
Blue Circle has put its heating division up for sale, and is expected to raise about £400m to invest in heavy building products. [29-Jun-1999]
Ulster Fireclays, the Northern Ireland-based producer of clay pipes for the building industry, has been acquired by Schiedel of Germany. [28-Jun-1999]
Tarmac has put its Hilton Hall headquarters near Wolverhampton up for sale at a price of £2m, and it is expected to be converted into a conference centre, hotel, or upmarket retirement home. [28-Jun-1999]
Bovis is to merge its Argentinian construction business with Dictis, the local project management company, in preparation for a major push into South American markets. [28-Jun-1999]
JCB is planning a major investment at its plant in Delhi in order to expand its construction equipment sales into other parts of Asia. [28-Jun-1999]
Morrison Construction is seeking acquisitions to expand its facilities maintenance business, and may bid for Scottish railway contractor First Engineering. [26-Jun-1999]
Birkby, the supplier of flexible office space, is in preliminary merger discussions with Mentmore Abbey, the storage space company. [25-Jun-1999]
Spring Ram, the kitchens and bathrooms company, has recommended a £82m takeover bid from US Industries, as part of a strategy by the US company to expand into the UK building products market. [25-Jun-1999]
Nationwide Access is opening new plant hire depots in Huddersfield, Northampton and Basingstoke as part of an ongoing expansion programme. [24-Jun-1999]
Artisan is acquiring Joseph Driver, the Tring-based contractor, for about £1.7m. [24-Jun-1999]
SGB is opening four new scaffolding depots this month, in Chester, Oldbury, Liverpool and Teesside. [24-Jun-1999]
Robinson Low Francis, the construction consultant, has merged with Hart Gilmore Associates and is now seeking further acquisitions. [24-Jun-1999]
WSP Group is setting up a new land redemption division in order to clean up contaminated land for developers. [24-Jun-1999]
Liverpool City Council is in discussions with a number of major companies interested in taking over its troubled building maintenance department. [23-Jun-1999]
Prowting Homes is relocating its regional headquarters from Surrey to the Crossways business park in Kent, where it will employ 60 people. [21-Jun-1999]
WS Atkins is to acquire Lambert Smith Hampton, the property consultant, for £50m, as part of a strategy to offer an integrated property service covering everything from land acquisition to demolition. [18-Jun-1999]
Barratt is relocating its Chandler's Ford office to larger premises due to the growth in its housebuilding activities in Hampshire and Dorset. [17-Jun-1999]
Meyer International is planning to expand its chain of Jewson builders merchants from 378 to 500. [17-Jun-1999]
Camstruction, the Aberdeen-based building contractor, has acquired the granite building works specialist George Simpson & Co, for undisclosed terms. [16-Jun-1999]
Tarmac is to split in two by the end of July, with a new construction division called Carillion based in Wolverhampton and a quarrying division based near Bilston. [14-Jun-1999]
Baldwins Industrial Services is to create about 40 jobs at its Middlesbrough depot over the next year due to growth in its heavy cranes business. [14-Jun-1999]
BPB is looking to cut 500 jobs in order to reduce costs in its plasterboard business by £20m this year. [11-Jun-1999]
WS Atkins, the consulting engineer and facilities management company, is looking to spend up to £60m on a US acquisition this year, as part of a strategy to offer a global service. [11-Jun-1999]
Blue Circle is to set up a £1m cement depot on the quayside at Salford, in order to replace existing facilities in Manchester and Widnes. [10-Jun-1999]
Multi Equipment Rental is to raise £1.4m in a rights issue in order to fund the expansion of its non-mechanical plant hire business. [10-Jun-1999]
Henry Boot has acquired Quicklift, the Rotherham-based equipment hire company, for £2.7m. [10-Jun-1999]
Meyer International has acquired RentX Industries, the US tool hire company, for £61m, and has also announced plans to launch a catalogue in the UK in October in order to reach new customers. [10-Jun-1999]
Great Portland Estates is planning to sell at least £150m of non-core property assets over the next two years, in order to rationalise its portfolio. [09-Jun-1999]
Rugby Group has sold its Abbseal glass business to a management team for £11m. [09-Jun-1999]
Bandt is looking to spend up to £20m on acquisitions to expand its industrial services division. [08-Jun-1999]
Pilkington is planning to cut a further 2,500 jobs, mainly in North America and Germany, as part of the ongoing restructuring of its glass business. [04-Jun-1999]
English Heritage has announced grants totalling £18m for 67 projects to transform derelict buildings in deprived areas into homes, shops and businesses. [03-Jun-1999]
Cala, the housebuilding and property group, is to be sold to a management buy-out for £95m, as Miller Group has now withdrawn from the bidding. [02-Jun-1999]
Blue Circle has acquired Calcemento International for £401m, which gives it a controlling stake in two Greek cement companies - Heracles General Cement and Halkis Cement. [01-Jun-1999]
Artisan, the Huntingdon-based building company, is acquiring a 50% stake in Living Heritage, which specialises in converting listed buildings, for up to £2.3m. [28-May-1999]
BSS is seeking to expand its chain of plumbers' merchants by opening new branches and by making regional acquisitions. [28-May-1999]
Regus is planning a £1bn flotation in the autumn in order to fund the expansion of its serviced office business in North and South America and Asia. [28-May-1999]
Modern Engineering is to merge with sister company Billington Structures in order to create a combined structural steel company called Billington Modern Structures, and 50 jobs will be created as it improves facilities at its Bristol site. [27-May-1999]
Nationwide Access, the supplier of mobile lift equipment, has relocated its East Midlands depot to Derby from Nottingham. [27-May-1999]
Tarmac Heavy Building Materials has won approval from Nottinghamshire County Council to extend Girton quarry to extract an extra 5m tonnes of sand and gravel. [27-May-1999]
Pilkington is to close its Sherman glass plant in Texas with the loss of 400 jobs as part of a strategy to eliminate excess capacity. [27-May-1999]
Swan Hill is to sell Carter Commercial Developments, which specialises in obtaining planning consent for food retail developments, to management in a £8m deal, and the proceeds will be invested in its housing division. [25-May-1999]
YJ Lovell is selling Lovell Partnerships to Morgan Sindall for £15m in order to invest the proceeds in its construction business, and it will also change its name to YJL. [25-May-1999]
Quintain Estates & Development is acquiring Chesterfield Properties for £139m, and has also announced the sale of the Curzon cinema chain and a number of theatres to the chairman of Chesterfield. [25-May-1999]
Greycoat, the London-based property company, is recommending a £283m takeover bid from its management, thereby rejecting a rival offer from Delancey Estates. [22-May-1999]
Evans of Leeds, the property development company, is planning to quit the stock market in a £163m deal. [21-May-1999]
JP Corry of Belfast has acquired RK Timber, the timber distributor, from Raab Karcher Shareholdings of Germany for undisclosed terms. [19-May-1999]
Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, is to set up its West Yorkshire headquarters in Bradford, from where it will link up with Bradford Council to attract jobs to the county. [18-May-1999]
Taylor Woodrow is to shed 250 jobs by pulling out of the process engineering market, and it will either close or sell Birtley Engineering in Chesterfield with the loss of 70 jobs. [17-May-1999]
Alfred McAlpine is considering plans to sell off some of its construction operations in order to fend off an unwanted takeover approach. [14-May-1999]
Tilcon has acquired Stansfield, the Derby-based demolition and surfacing company. [13-May-1999]
Jarvis is seeking to diversify its rail and road maintenance business into new areas such as buildings and property maintenance. [13-May-1999]
Capita Group has acquired MPM Adams, the project management company, for £4m. [13-May-1999]
Lilleshall has completed its withdrawal from the building products market with the sale of its French PVCu windows business, and it will now focus on industrial services. [13-May-1999]
White Young Green, the consulting engineer, has acquired Philip Downie & Associates of Belfast. [12-May-1999]
English Partnerships is being combined with the Commission for New Towns, and will focus on the identification of brownfield sites suitable for industrial and housing development. [12-May-1999]
CRH has acquired two Finnish cement and aggregates businesses from Scancem of Sweden for £273m, and is now looking to expand into the Baltic states and eastern Europe. [11-May-1999]
Scientifics, the Derby-based research company, has acquired the Glasgow-based bridge monitoring division of Stanger Science, which is owned by Tarmac. [10-May-1999]
Wolseley, the building materials company, is to acquire British Fittings for £40m, in order to expand its distribution business. [08-May-1999]
Bardon Aggregates has acquired Cribarth Quarry, the producer of road surfacing materials at Llanafan in Wales. [06-May-1999]
Ledwood Construction has sacked about 350 construction workers at BP Saltend after they walked out over a pay and working conditions dispute. [05-May-1999]
Property Asset Holdings is acquiring Northacre, the London-based residential property developer, for £14m, and will adopt the Northacre name. [05-May-1999]
SGB is selling Comabi, its French manufacturing operation, to Zarges Tubesca for £5.5m in order to focus on the development of a European branch network for the rental of access products. [04-May-1999]
Alfred McAlpine has rejected a £243m unsolicited bid from an unnamed individual who owns a private construction company. [30-Apr-1999]
Hewden Stuart has acquired PW Plant, the Middlesex-based plant hirer, for £0.5m. [29-Apr-1999]
Ainscough has acquired Cardon Crane Hire of London for undisclosed terms. [29-Apr-1999]
Status Hydraulics has opened a new hose service and repair centre in Park Royal, London, and plans to open a total of eight depots this year. [29-Apr-1999]
Ballast Wiltshier is forming two new divisions to handle sports stadia projects and joint ventures, and is to strengthen its Scottish business with a new office in Edinburgh. [29-Apr-1999]
Travis Perkins is to acquire Keyline, the builders' merchant, from CRH for £181m, in order to expand its business in Scotland and the north of England. [29-Apr-1999]
Chase Midland, the independent building group, is considering plans for a flotation within two years. [27-Apr-1999]
Henry Boot is planning to undergo a strategic review of its building and property business, which could lead to acquisitions or a merger. [27-Apr-1999]
Cala, the housebuilding and property group, has received an £86m takeover bid from Miller Group, and a bidding war is now expected. [23-Apr-1999]
Costain is forming a joint venture with Meteor Parking and Skanska BOT to provide a one-stop shop for building car parks. [22-Apr-1999]
Reinforced Earth Company of Telford has been acquired by Freyssinet of France, and the combined group will be able to offer a complete package in earth embankments and post stanchions. [22-Apr-1999]
Milner has acquired the Professional Construction Management group of companies in order to expand its corporate building consultancy division. [22-Apr-1999]
McCarthy & Stone is planning to expand its house building operations in the north-east and south-west of England, and the areas will be managed from new offices in York and Bristol. [21-Apr-1999]
Environmental Property Services is planning to sell its building maintenance operations and transform itself into an investor in small and medium-sized companies. [21-Apr-1999]
Norman & Underwood is to close its P Elliff & Sons glazing business in Leeds later this month, unless a buyer can be found. [20-Apr-1999]
Quintain Estates & Development is to acquire English & Overseas Properties for £33m, and plans to close the E&O head office and press ahead with its property development plans. [20-Apr-1999]
Amec has completed the sale of its Fairclough Homes division to Centex of the US for £109m. [17-Apr-1999]
Sharpe & Fisher has acquired Malvern Building Supplies for £2m, as part of a strategy to expand its regional network of branches. [16-Apr-1999]
Flowcrete has acquired the industrial flooring business of Derbyshire-based Chryso UK, for undisclosed terms. [16-Apr-1999]
Blockleys is planning to expand its brick manufacturing facilities by building a new kiln and extending its clay reserves at Hadley near Telford. [16-Apr-1999]
Hills Electrical is opening an office in the centre of London, as part of an expansion plan that will create 500 jobs by 2003. [16-Apr-1999]
IMI is to acquire Polypipe, the building materials concern, for £337m, which will enable it to sell Polypipe's products into continental Europe. [16-Apr-1999]
British Ceramic Tiles is seeking 200 workers for its new factory in Newton Abbot, which is due to open later this month. [15-Apr-1999]
Greycoat, the property company, has put itself up for sale and is asking prospective buyers to submit sealed bids by mid-May. [15-Apr-1999]
Avonside, the building services company, is to be sold to its managing director and Alchemy Partners in a £22m deal. [10-Apr-1999]
Cardiff Bay Development Corporation has appointed Denvale Trade Parks to develop a £5m trade park with 11 trade counters for the building industry, and 100 jobs will be created. [09-Apr-1999]
Costain is to cut 120 jobs in an effort to reduce costs by £10m over the next year, and its construction and civil engineering divisions will be merged into a single UK operation. [08-Apr-1999]
BICC is to sell its energy cables division to General Cable of the US for £275m, in order to focus on its Balfour Beatty construction business. [08-Apr-1999]
Caradon is to sell its three remaining North American doors and windows operations to Nortek for £41m. [07-Apr-1999]
Baldwins Industrial Services has bought Loadtite, the Bristol-based crane equipment hire company, in a £1m deal. [06-Apr-1999]
Hanson has acquired FC Precast Concrete from Wilshaw for £3.7m, and plans to expand the concrete box culverts factory in Derby. [06-Apr-1999]
Grafton Group of Ireland is in discussions to acquire Niall Bailey, the Birmingham-based builders merchant, for about £13m. [06-Apr-1999]
Pilkington is to open a £20m glass distribution centre in Redditch in May. [05-Apr-1999]
Travis Perkins is buying 15 builders merchants for a total £1.5m, including nine outlets in London and Essex from Smith & Sons. [05-Apr-1999]
Hanson is acquiring North American Brick Group from Jannock of Canada for £160m. [03-Apr-1999]
Cleveland Trust, the property company, has recommended a £33m takeover bid from Ashtenne Holdings. [03-Apr-1999]
RMC is acquiring two US concrete companies - Jobe Concrete Products and Reno Sparks Ready Mix - for a total of £72m. [01-Apr-1999]
WSP Group is acquiring HJT, the structural consulting engineer, for £1.6m. [31-Mar-1999]
Rugby Group is to acquire a controlling stake in Adelaide Brighton, the Australian cement company, and is also in discussions to sell its joinery and US distribution business to Jeld-Wen of Oregon. [31-Mar-1999]
Hepworth has dropped plans to acquire Naylor Drainage and Naylor Plastics, as the deal was referred to the Monopolies & Mergers Commission. [31-Mar-1999]
The government has announced plans to set up two multi-million pound science parks at Magee and Coleraine Universities creating up to 700 jobs, as part of a £30m science park package. [30-Mar-1999]
Hammerson is to acquire Euston Square in London from Kajima for £83m, which could lead to the redevelopment of Euston Station. [30-Mar-1999]
Blue Circle is considering plans to spend a further £400m on acquisitions this year, and is particularly interested in the cement markets of Asia and South America. [30-Mar-1999]
BPB is to restructure its European plasterboard business in order to reduce costs by £20m a year, and an unspecified number of jobs will be lost. [26-Mar-1999]
Amey is looking to spend about £90m on acquisitions as it continues to shift its focus away from construction and towards business support services such as human resources and IT. [24-Mar-1999]
Highland Window Company is opening a sales office and showroom in Nairn, with the creation of 10 jobs. [23-Mar-1999]
Delancey Estates has launched a £212m takeover offer for Greycoat, the property company. [23-Mar-1999]
Rugby is considering plans to sell its international joinery business for up to £300m, in order to focus on its core cement operations. [22-Mar-1999]
Quintain Estates & Development is in negotiations to acquire the rival property company Chesterfield. [22-Mar-1999]
JCB, the construction equipment company, is planning a major sales push in the US following the termination of its joint venture with Sumitomo Heavy Industries. [19-Mar-1999]
Wernick Hire, the building hire company, has acquired UK Cabins for £2.4m. [18-Mar-1999]
Taylor Woodrow is planning to double the size of its housing business over the next five years, while it will reduce its exposure to the higher-risk general contracting market. [17-Mar-1999]
Cala, the housebuilder and property company, is discussing plans for a management buy-out. [16-Mar-1999]
Charter has sold its Wirth tunnelling and drilling business in Germany to management for £7m. [16-Mar-1999]
Hepworth has sold its door parts business Henderson Hardware for £4.2m. [15-Mar-1999]
Ruberoid is to close its roof felt factory in Dundee with the loss of 70 jobs, and production will be transferred to Appley Bridge in Yorkshire. [15-Mar-1999]
Amec is to consider the future of its Morse Diesel construction business in the US, and may decide to sell it unless margins can be improved. [12-Mar-1999]
Kronospan has been given the go-ahead to build new warehouses at its chipboard plant near Wrexham. [11-Mar-1999]
Brandon Hire has acquired DS Plant Hire of Wandsworth for £0.3m. [11-Mar-1999]
GAP Group has opened a new regional tool hire base in Liverpool, and plans to open an additional 20 tool hire depots over the next four years. [11-Mar-1999]
Clugston Construction is planning to expand its chain of six St Vincent Plant depots. [11-Mar-1999]
Peel Holdings, the property company, is considering plans to take itself private in deal that could value it at up to £700m. [10-Mar-1999]
Amec is in discussions to sell its Fairclough Homes division to Centex, the US company that is looking to build up a pan-European housebuilding group. [10-Mar-1999]
Ultraframe, the Clitheroe-based conservatory roofing company, is forming a joint venture with Royal Group Technologies of Ontario to make and sell conservatories in the US, Canada and Mexico. [09-Mar-1999]
Meadowstone is expanding its building stone factory in Somercotes and expects the workforce to rise from 110 to 140 over the next three years. [09-Mar-1999]
Caradon is to acquire an 85% stake in Termo Teknik, the Turkish radiator company, for £30m, and is selling its UK windows and doors business to Bardox Group for £40m. [08-Mar-1999]
Swan Hill is planning to wind down its property business in order to raise £50m to invest in housebuilding. [06-Mar-1999]
Emmerstone, the Bristol-based building company, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 35 jobs. [05-Mar-1999]
Everwhite Plastics is investing £2m in an extension at its building products factory in Aberdare, South Wales, and 65 jobs are being created. [04-Mar-1999]
Whitecroft is planning to sell building products factories in Barnstaple, Nottingham and Sheffield, including the Leaderflush Shapland door manufacturing business that employs 250 people in Barnstaple. [04-Mar-1999]
Huntingdonshire District Council has approved plans from Marshall's Mono Limited for the construction of a concrete factory in St Ives, which will create 80 jobs. [04-Mar-1999]
Ruberoid has acquired Kingsnorth Bitumen Products for £1.2m, and has also announced the closure of its roofing felt factory in Dundee. [04-Mar-1999]
Shepherd Construction is to close offices in Nottingham and Northampton and cut about 50 jobs, while the Bristol office will be expanded. [04-Mar-1999]
Hanson has sold its 24% stake in Westralian Sands, the Australian titanium and zircon producer, to a number of institutions for £87m, as part of a strategy to focus on heavy building materials. [04-Mar-1999]
Wainhomes, the housebuilder, is to undergo a management buyout for £88m. [04-Mar-1999]
Canary Wharf Group has confirmed plans for a flotation that could value the property company at up to £2.6bn. [02-Mar-1999]
Thames Water is planning a £10m project to drill 50 boreholes to pump out 15m gallons of water a day from underneath London, in order to prevent flooding. [27-Feb-1999]
The government has selected London Bridge City in Southwark as the site for the headquarters of the Greater London Authority, and the project will include retail, restaurant and recreational facilities and create about 10,000 jobs. [27-Feb-1999]
Rugby Group is in negotiations to gain control of Adelaide Brighton, the Australian cement company, and is also said to be interested in Scancem, the Scandinavian company that owns Castle Cement of the UK. [26-Feb-1999]
Ashtead, the industrial hire company, has acquired UK Plant for £20m. [26-Feb-1999]
RMC is in discussions to acquire the remaining 75% stake in Alexander Russell, the building materials group. [26-Feb-1999]
Norcros is considering plans to consolidate its H&R Johnson tiles business onto one site in Stoke-on-Trent, which could free up land for the development of a £100m retail and leisure park. [25-Feb-1999]
Pemberstone, the residential property company, is to undergo a £32m management buyout. [25-Feb-1999]
Ainscough is to expand its North-Western Engineering Services division by setting up a nationwide chain of depots, many of which will be integrated into its existing crane outlets. [25-Feb-1999]
Amec Construction has opened an office in Wakefield in order to win more work in the fine chemical and industrial sectors. [25-Feb-1999]
Wates Construction has announced a restructuring programme that will create specialist product teams in London, each focused on particular market sectors. [25-Feb-1999]
Mitie has acquired a 63% stake in Lindsay Group, the Glasgow-based industrial painting company, for £1.7m. [25-Feb-1999]
Flowcrete is to invest £1m in new training and conference facilities at its cement factory in Sandbach, and has just completed the installation of a £1m computerised blending facility. [24-Feb-1999]
Lafarge Redland Aggregates is planning to build a new factory to produce bitumen-coated road surface material at the former Chelmsford Royal Mail depot. [24-Feb-1999]
Britannic Group, the wood importer, has raised £15m to fund the expansion of its UK operations, including its site in Bristol. [22-Feb-1999]
Wolseley has acquired five businesses for a total £38m, including heating and plumbing products in Ireland, wall panels in the US, and a sanitary ware distributor in Lancashire. [19-Feb-1999]
Ibstock is selling its 76% stake in Caima Ceramica e Servicos, the Portuguese building products company, to two CGS directors for £22m. [19-Feb-1999]
Dudley Bower Building Services has acquired Williams Brothers (Electrical), which has offices in Wolverhampton, Leicester, Grantham, Birmingham, and Shrewsbury. [18-Feb-1999]
Interior Services Group has acquired the H Waters property management company for an initial £3.5m. [16-Feb-1999]
Canary Wharf Group is considering plans for an initial public offering in the spring, in order to finance the completion of a new office complex in London's Docklands that will be able to accommodate 90,000 workers. [15-Feb-1999]
Blue Circle is to sell Brotje, its German wholesale heating business with 27 outlets, to GC Group for £41m. [13-Feb-1999]
ABB Steward, the building services company, is planning to create more than 200 jobs in the East Midlands over the next three years, and has opened a new regional office in Derby. [12-Feb-1999]
Hill Hire is to spend £2m on the purchase and development of a site at Oldbury in the West Midlands. [12-Feb-1999]
Chesterfelt, the Chesterfield-based roofing felt company, has been sold to a management buy-in team assembled by venture capital group 3i, for undisclosed terms. [11-Feb-1999]
HE Services of Kent has bought the BCP Plant Hire business from Finning for undisclosed terms. [11-Feb-1999]
Southern Electric Contracting has acquired Connect South West, the Exeter-based street lighting contractor. [11-Feb-1999]
Ennstone has acquired Cooper Sand & Gravel, the US quarry business, for £1.6m. [11-Feb-1999]
Tilcon is planning to expand its limestone quarry at Marsden Quarry on South Tyneside, in order to secure 50 jobs. [10-Feb-1999]
Aggregate Industries has acquired the aggregate and trucking operations of Hammer Group of the US for £11m. [10-Feb-1999]
Clugston Construction has announced a major management reorganisation and expansion programme, involving new offices in Nottingham and the south of England. [08-Feb-1999]
Acorn Building Services has acquired a controlling interest in Lancashire Damp Proof Course of Tyldesley. [05-Feb-1999]
United Marine Dredging has won approval to extract up to 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel a year from the sea-bed seven miles off Selsey Bill. [05-Feb-1999]
Castle Cement is planning to build a £40m kiln at its Padeswood site near Mold, to increase cement production from 500,000 tonnes to 750,000 tonnes a year. [04-Feb-1999]
Shepherd Consulting is acquiring GRC Consultants, the Hampshire-based process engineering company, for undisclosed terms. [04-Feb-1999]
Alexander Russell, the concrete and minerals concern, is in discussions which could lead to a takeover bid being made for the company. [03-Feb-1999]
Blue Circle has sold its bathrooms division, which includes nine UK factories employing 2,200 people, to American Standard for £253m. [03-Feb-1999]
Tarmac is planning to split into two groups later this year, one focusing on construction and the other on aggregates, prompting speculation that it may link up with a rival company. [03-Feb-1999]
Caradon has sold Terrain, a plastic pipes subsidiary, to Geberit of Switzerland for £27m, and a number of other disposals are expected soon. [03-Feb-1999]
Regalian Properties is linking up with two US companies - Colony Capital and Oakwood Corporate Housing - to develop serviced apartments in London. [02-Feb-1999]
Norcros, the building materials group, is in discussions that could lead to an offer being made for the company. [29-Jan-1999]
Kvaerner Cleveland Bridge is planning to cut 98 jobs, mainly at its Darlington site which employs about 680, due to a fall in orders for bridge construction work. [28-Jan-1999]
Solmek of Middlesbrough has merged with Leeds-based Pro-Soils Surveys in order to offer land reclamation services nationwide. [28-Jan-1999]
Stadium Group has acquired Dextroplast, the Sutton-on-Trent building materials company, for £0.4m. [28-Jan-1999]
Hays Montrose, the construction industry recruitment consultancy, has opened new offices in central London and Cork, giving it a total of 24. [28-Jan-1999]
Kemp Stroud, the Aldershot builder, has been acquired by Leonard Field of Southampton. [28-Jan-1999]
Nationwide Access is planning to open a further 100 hire depots this year. [28-Jan-1999]
Polypipe has acquired Rickmans, the Essex-based manufacturer of conservatory roofing, for £0.75m. [28-Jan-1999]
The Prison Service has applied for planning permission to expand Hull Prison, with the creation of up to 150 jobs. [25-Jan-1999]
NBA Quantum, the construction industry consultancy group, is planning to float on Aim later this year with a market valuation of about £6m. [25-Jan-1999]
CRH has put its Keyline chain of 101 builders' merchants up for sale, and it is expected to fetch up to £200m. [23-Jan-1999]
Tarmac's Bilston-based Crown House Engineering division is planning to increase its workforce from 80 to 200 by the end of the year, and is seeking new premises. [22-Jan-1999]
Kiely Brothers, the Bury-based house builder that traded as Manor Homes, has gone into liquidation. [21-Jan-1999]
GAP is to invest £5m in the opening of new plant and tool hire depots in Leicester, Coventry and Doncaster, with the creation of 50 jobs. [21-Jan-1999]
Industrial Contract Services has merged with Thomas Vale, the design and build contractor, to form ICS-Vale. [21-Jan-1999]
The Lewis Harris Group has acquired Niwel, the Manchester-based builder with annual sales of £12m. [21-Jan-1999]
Brandon Hire is acquiring Devizes Plant and Tool Hire for £0.1m, in order to expand its branch network in Wiltshire. [20-Jan-1999]
Hanson is forming a more centralised corporate structure, changing the name of its 49 US companies to Hanson Building Materials America, and adopting a new logo. [20-Jan-1999]
Regus is to set up 30 business centres in the UK this year, which will help to create 1,000 jobs, and a further 100 centres will be set up in other countries. [18-Jan-1999]
Tecroc has acquired Appleby Building Products and will set up a southern distribution centre at Appleby's site in Ditton, Kent. [15-Jan-1999]
Construction output will grow 1.3% in 1999 and 2.2% in 2000, according to Construction Forecasting & Research. [15-Jan-1999]
VHE has acquired West Cumberland Engineering, the steel fabricator and insulation contractor, for up to £2m. [15-Jan-1999]
Abbey Hanson Rowe, the architectural firm, is to merge with Holford Associates, and will then seek to expand into building surveying and environmental consultancy. [15-Jan-1999]
Hepworth Building Products is planning to acquire the clay and plastic pipes business of Naylor Industries for £1.5m. [15-Jan-1999]
CRH has acquired a further 30% stake in Ibstock, the brick maker, from Weinerberger of Austria for £97m, which lifts its holding to 80.5%. [15-Jan-1999]
Richard Ellis is in discussions to acquire St Quintin, the independent chartered surveyors. [11-Jan-1999]
BAA has begun a review of its property division in order to focus on its core airport activities, and this could result in the sale of its Lynton subsidiary. [11-Jan-1999]
The Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract worth up to £500m to a consortium that includes Amey, Kvaerner and Hyder for the redevelopment and maintenance of its Whitehall headquarters. [09-Jan-1999]
Redland Readymix is to relocate its concrete plant on Teesside to an industrial estate near Holme House prison, which will enable it to install the latest technology. [08-Jan-1999]
Blue Circle Industries has applied for planning permission from North Lincolnshire Council for a £100m commercial and industrial development at Barton, which would create up to 1,200 jobs. [08-Jan-1999]
Wolseley is acquiring Brossette, the French plumbing distributor, and four US companies, bringing its total spending on acquisitions to £178m in the first five months of the financial year. [08-Jan-1999]
Amec has set up a new London-based consultancy division called Amec Consult to enable it to provide a wider range of services to clients. [07-Jan-1999]
YJ Lovell, the construction company, is moving its head office from Gerrards Cross to Chiswick as part of a cost-cutting exercise. [07-Jan-1999]
EBC has acquired NR Humphreys, the Reading-based building maintenance company, for undisclosed terms. [07-Jan-1999]
Caradon is said to be close to agreeing the sale of its Everest double glazing business to Bardox Group. [07-Jan-1999]
Ainscough Group has acquired Peterhead Crane Hire for undisclosed terms, and opened a new depot in Hertfordshire. [07-Jan-1999]
Avonside, the construction services company, has received a takeover approach. [07-Jan-1999]
Halladale Group, the Glasgow-based property company, is planning to seek a stock market listing within a year in order to raise new funds for property investment and development. [06-Jan-1999]
Meyer International has sold Pont Meyer, its Dutch building materials division, to William Pont of the Netherlands for £56m. [06-Jan-1999]
Hanson has acquired Tanah Raya Group, the Malaysian aggregates company, for £16m. [06-Jan-1999]
WSP Group, the consulting engineer, is undergoing a £1m management buyout to split off the project management side of the business. [06-Jan-1999]
The government is considering plans for an environmental sales tax on the extraction of building aggregates, in order to encourage the recycling of building materials. [06-Jan-1999]
Lavendon, the powered-access hire operator, has acquired Furg Arbeitsbuhnenservice und Vermietung of Germany for £6m. [05-Jan-1999]
Strutt & Parker has acquired William Hillary Leisure & Hotels, the chartered surveyor, in order to benefit from growth in the leisure property sector. [04-Jan-1999]
Blue Circle has shortlisted five companies to buy its bathrooms division for about £200m, and a sale is expected by April. [02-Jan-1999]