Last updated 23rd September 2022
RG Carter
Founded in 1921 and based in Norwich, R G Carter is one of the largest family-owned construction groups in the East of England with a 2019 turnover (pre-Covid) of around £65 million.
The firm works nationally and regionally, providing design, construction and project management services to a wide range of sectors. It is also one of the largest Passivhaus housebuilders in the UK. At the end of 2020, the firm employed 95 staff and it has offices across the East of England in Attleborough, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ipswich, King’s Lynn, Lincoln, Northampton, Norwich and Peterborough. The company employed an average of 95 staff during 2020, down from 127 previously.
Recent notable projects by the group include Goldsmith Street, a Norwich City Council housing development which won the RIBA 2019 Stirling Prize and the Welcome Trust Genome Campus near Cambridge.
RG Carter’s Construction and Services businesses provide a total project delivery extending from design and engineering, through to construction and M&E for private and public sector projects up to £50 million. An integrated supply chain enables the group to achieve project management and cost efficiencies.
Meanwhile, the group puts an emphasis on its strong in-house expertise and abilities across the whole building process covering design, engineering, constructing and fitting out buildings across sectors including retail, distribution, commercial, industrial and leisure.
The group has a broad engineering capability covering many specialist ground and civils areas, including piling. Meanwhile, Carter Design Group (CDG) provides architectural, structural and civil engineering design services.
RG Carter’s Building Solutions teams deliver small and medium sized building projects up to £2.5 million including maintenance, refurbishments, new builds, extensions and specialist restorations. The group also has an in-house design and specialist technical team. Working for private and public clients, it also works through frameworks in sectors including health, heritage,education, commercial, leisure, defence & emergency services and science & research.
The group also provides a range of other construction-related services including aggregates & waste, glazing, joinery, catering, door, M&E, builders and farmers plant & equipment, security and signage.
Financials
To see the financial results for RG Carter Ltd go to Companies House and see Company No. 00270273
RG Carter faced a difficult year in 2020 as Covid-related challenges were behind a near-halving in turnover and a significant increase in losses during the year. Turnover in the year to end-December 202 fell to £31.93 million from £65.6 million previously. The downturn pushed up pre-tax losses to £2.23 million from £298,000 previously. Cash at bank at the year-end stood at £7.99 million compared to £9.9 million previously. However the directors report a good flow of work on hand for 2021 ‘with many opportunities still being seen in the market’.
Operations
A series of recent projects underway at RG Carter reflect the broad range of skills and specialities provided by the company.
A team from the firm has been overseeing the installation of plant in a major new Energy Centre facility at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, which is set for completion in late summer 2022.
Meanwhile, in the retail sector, the group has worked with Tesco for over 50 years and recently completed a 1 000 sq m extension and full refurbishment on a store for the supermarket group at Great Dunmow in Essex. Elsewhere, a team from R G Carter Projects recently completed a new layout, refurbishment and full decoration of a Waitrose store at Storrington in West Sussex.
RG Carter recently handed over the new Food Enterprise Zone Hub (FEZ) at Holbeach in Lincs which is intended to become a gateway to a new commercial development and a multi-use hub for SMEs in the sector.
Meanwhile, the group’s Digi-Tech Factory project at City College Norwich was a finalist in the National Constructing Excellence Awards and is representing the East of England in the Project of the Year category.
Glenigan Data
Glenigan data shows that RG Carter ranks as the 65th largest contractor in the country in a recent year with 21 new project awards in the year to June 2022 worth £126.9 million and split between civils £5 million and building £121.9 million. Glenigan data also points to a continuing flow of new project work at RG Carter. The group is the main contractor on a prominent new Cambridge office building, the £12.5 million CB1-Jupiter House project, where work is due to start in autumn 2022 and continue for 21 months (Project ID: 16041155). Meanwhile, the group is also main contractor on a £4 million extension at Manea Community Primary School for Cambs County Council where work is due to start early in 2023 and run for 16 months (Project ID: 22178472).
Conclusion
RG Carter has faced some tough trading conditions in recent years but after 100 years in business it is well-used to overcoming adversity. Along with a strong market position in the East of England and a blue chip client list , the group’s broad range of skills, significant in-house workforce and solid track record across a wide range of sectors all bode well for its longer term prospects. Today, a healthy flow of work from the education sector and its well-regarded civil engineering division should provide support if private commercial and retail work becomes scarcer in the months ahead.
How to win work with RG Carter
RG Carter says it is committed to strengthening existing, and building new relationships with supply chain partners and it sees its supply chain as key part of its offer for ”total project delivery”. A page on the company’s website here gives full details of its approach to its supply chain.
Key Contacts
Ian Lake, Estimating Manager, Cambridge
Telephone: 01223 265300
Colin Knight, Project Manager, Peterborough
Telephone 01733 312881
Ken Woodhall, Commercial Manager (Northampton)
Telephone: 01604 879978