United Infrastructure Acquires £15m Roofing Specialist Hodgson Sayers

Private equity-backed United Infrastructure has bought Hodgson Sayers, a roofing and building maintenance specialist with a £15m turnover and a 100-strong workforce.

The County Durham firm, founded in 1979, operates across the UK from its Stanley headquarters and a Nottingham base. Its services span roofing, building fabric repairs, civils, metalwork, fabrication and security products. The deal brings specialist roofing and building envelope expertise into United Infrastructure as it expands across power and social housing.

Why does this deal fit?

United Infrastructure chairman and chief executive Neil Armstrong called the acquisition a deliberate play for capability, not just scale.

"This acquisition is a strong strategic fit for United Infrastructure, adding valuable roofing and building-fabric expertise to our growing power and social infrastructure capability," Armstrong said.

He also paid tribute to the founders: "I would like to thank Billy Hodgson and John Sayers for the inspiring vision and leadership they've shown in building Hodgson Sayers into the respected business it is today. Their continued support and expertise will be invaluable as we work together to take the business to the next level and help it reach its full potential."

That phrasing suggests the founders aren't leaving. founders who stick around after a buyout are, of course, the industry's favourite kind.

Who are Hodgson Sayers' clients?

The firm's track record leans on long public-utility relationships rather than one-off projects:

• Around 45 years of work with Northern Powergrid
• Recently secured contracts with National Grid
• Ongoing work for local authorities and housing associations

The Northern Powergrid relationship predates most of the company's current employees. In contracting, 45 years with one client is less a contract than a marriage.

What happens next?

Hodgson Sayers' latest accounts put turnover at around £15m, with 100 staff.

Chairman and founder Billy Hodgson framed the sale as a growth decision rather than an exit. "United Infrastructure shares our values and our commitment to quality and service, and joining them marks the start of an exciting new chapter, giving us access to greater resources and expertise, a wider network, and the scale to accelerate our next phase of growth," he said.

The acquisition slots a 45-year-old regional contractor into a private equity group with a stated push into power and social infrastructure — two sectors where roofing and building fabric work is in steady demand. If the founders stay and the Northern Powergrid relationship holds, United Infrastructure has bought a reliable revenue stream with a specialist edge. The next test will be whether the group can scale a Stanley-headquartered firm without dulling what made it worth buying.