The UK’s largest ground engineering contractor Van Elle Group has acquired Scottish specialist piling and drilling business Albion Drilling Group for £3.5 million.

Van Elle aims to boost its presence in Scotland and extend the Group’s technical capabilities through the ‘complementary and strategically aligned bolt-on acquisition’.
Albion is a privately owned business based in Stirling, founded in 1986, that provides specialist piling, technical drilling and geotechnical engineering.
Managing Director, Jim King, and the entire workforce consisting of 31 employees will become part of the Van Elle Group, and the business will continue to operate under the Albion brand.
King will assume a wider role as Van Elle’s director for Scotland, reporting to chief operating officer, Malcolm O’Sullivan.
For the year ended 31 January 2024, Albion posted revenue of £5.5 million, EBITDA of £1 million and profit before tax of £800,000.
According to Van Elle, Albion has a ‘high-quality rig fleet and skilled workforce, and a strong track record in infrastructure projects, with a blue-chip customer base that complements the Group’s.’
Albion’s track record in the energy sector aligns to Van Elle’s strategy, which is currently delivering two energy infrastructure schemes in Scotland and expects to mobilise larger schemes in early 2025.
Albion will be aligned to the Group’s Specialist Piling division, with Van Elle co-locating its facilities at Stirling and integrating its resources to grow its Scotland-based capability.
The initial consideration comprises cash consideration of £2.1 million and £600,000 funded through the issue of Van Elle shares to Albion, and a deferred consideration of up to £800,000 to be paid in cash over subject performance over a two-year period.
For the year ended 30 April 2024 Van Elle delivered a resilient financial performance with revenue of £139.5 million, a 6 per cent decrease from the £148.7 million achieved in the previous financial period, generating a pre-tax profit of £5.6 million (FY2023: £5.4 million).
Van Elle chief executive, Mark Cutler, said: ”The acquisition of Albion represents an exciting and important step towards the delivery of our growth strategy in the energy sector. It also broadens the Group’s range of specialist capabilities and customer base.
“Albion is a highly regarded specialist contractor with complementary capabilities and an experienced workforce who will fit perfectly into the Group’s operating structure.
“May I welcome Jim King our new Scotland director, and all Albion employees to the Van Elle Group.”
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