Simon Orange, co-owner of Sale Sharks rugby club and brother of former Take That pop singer Jason Orange, has taken a majority stake in William Hare Group (WHG).
Orange recently sold a stake in his CorpAcq investment business to TDR Capital in a deal reported to worth 拢1bn. He will be holding the business in a personal capacity alongside some of his other investments.
The deal marks a new chapter for the business which was established in 1945 by Bartle Hodgkiss, William Hare鈥檚 son in law.
Headquartered in Bury, WHG employs 2,000 people and has nine UK sites, as well as operations in Europe, the UAE and India. With a turnover of more than 拢350m, WHG has been involved in some of the UK鈥檚 most significant building and infrastructure projects including Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, Battersea Power Station, HS2, , 40 Leadenhall and 20 Fenchurch Street (the Walkie Talkie building).
William Hare鈥檚 existing management team, including chief executive Susan Hodgkiss and director Matthew Nesbit, will continue to lead the business, with Simon Orange offering support.
Matthew Nesbit said: 鈥淭his is an exciting moment for William Hare and will support our continued growth. The business is in a really strong financial position, with historically high levels of cash, providing clients the confidence to continue trusting us to deliver the quality and outcomes that we have built our reputation on.
鈥淚n the current climate, it鈥檚 clear the market needs confidence in its supply chain and with our expertise and strong financial position we believe we are well placed to provide that and deliver world class projects across the built environment.鈥�
Simon Orange added: 鈥淚 am thrilled to be investing in William Hare, a company with a strong culture and rich history, which is working with a broad spectrum of clients on some of the largest and most exciting buildings in the world. With market leading credentials in engineering, fabrication, construction and sustainability, I know that William Hare is a business that is built for the future and has an exciting role to play in the future of construction and manufacturing.鈥�
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