Lovell maintenance business expands with Powerminster Gleeson Services acquisition

Morgan Sindall Group’s affordable housing division Lovell is set for a major expansion of its housing maintenance business with the acquisition of Powerminster Gleeson Services (“Powerminster”) from MJ Gleeson Group plc.

All Powerminster’s contracts, and the company’s 178-strong workforce, will transfer to Lovell Respond, the Lovell response maintenance business. The move brings together the two businesses’ complementary expertise and geographical presence to significantly enhance the range of services offered by Lovell to its social housing partners.

Powerminster delivers comprehensive planned and reactive maintenance solutions, including a 24/7 responsive service, to the social housing sector. It specialises in providing long-term estate management services on Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes. Lovell Respond’s current business is mainly focussed on the Midlands, whilst Powerminster has a strong presence in the North West, North East and South East of England. Bringing the two together creates a leading reactive maintenance and estates management services business.

“This is an important strategic acquisition for the Group,” says Paul Smith, chief executive of Morgan Sindall Group plc. “It gives our existing response maintenance business significant critical mass, creating a nationwide offering and substantially enhancing the range of services we provide. It also leaves us better placed to take advantage of the response maintenance element of future social housing PFI schemes.

“Social housing contracts are increasingly being tendered on a combined planned and responsive maintenance basis. This acquisition ensures that we can continue to meet our clients’ needs and further builds on the strong position we hold in the social housing market.”