March 2018 – Scaffolding & Access
How many readers knew that Carillion, which collapsed in January, owned a chain of hotels?
We knew it had branched out from construction and into facilities management and even catering. But it came as a surprise to many when it emerged earlier this month that four Ibis Styles hotels, sold by agent Knight Frank, had previously belonged to Carillion.
Many people attribute Carillion’s demise to its readiness to take on roles in which it had no previous experience. It spread itself too thin and took its eye off the ball. It should have stuck to what it knew: construction and civil engineering.
Try telling that to Mick George, though. As we discover in this issue, the Huntingdon-based ‘construction services’ company has more strings to its bow than the Berlin Philharmonic’s violin section and it insists that its diversification into areas as varied as waste disposal, telecommunications and vehicle leasing is the key to success.
On the evidence of the company’s success so far, there’s no reason to doubt it.
David Taylor
Editor
Feature