 | |
| Industry | Construction Business services |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1822 |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Carillion |
| Headquarters | London, England |
Key people | Joe Darby, (Chairman) Sir John Gains, (CEO) |
Number of employees | 25,600 |
Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom.
The company was established as John Mowlem and Co. by John Mowlem and initially worked on behalf of various local authorities across London. It expanded throughout the nineteenth century, taking on increasingly prestigious undertakings. The company received the first of several Royal Warrants in 1902. One year later, John Mowlem and Co. was briefly incorporated before being reorganised as a partnership once again; the business was long operated by successive generations of the Mowlem and Burt families, including George Burt, and Sir John Mowlem Burt. During 1924, the company went public on the London Stock Exchange.
Throughout the Second World War, the company worked on numerous contracts issued by the British government, including the construction of the Mulberry harbour units. After the end of the conflict, it continued to developed its network of regional contracting businesses, often via acquisitions. During 1971, the company expanded overseas via its stake in the Australian contractor Barclay Brothers, which it would later take whole ownership of. Mowlem entered the private house building sector during 1986 although, following a recession during the early 1990s, it sold on the housing division to the rival homebuilder Beazer in 1994.
The mid-2000s was a period of great change for Mowlem. It entered a period of financial difficulties in part attributed to several high-profile projects not going to plan. After losses totalling £73.4 million were recorded in 2005, its construction services operation was restructured and 300 jobs were lost at the company. During December 2005, it was announced that rival contracting company Carillion was acquiring Mowlem for £291 million. Use of the Mowlem name was discontinued soon thereafter.