Independent construction firm, Howard Russell, has been appointed as the main contractor on the £2.5 million refurbishment of a northwest London fruit & vegetable warehouse.
The Northumberland based firm will undertake the fit-out of Mash Purveyors newly acquired 53,000 sq ft property at the prestigious Park Royal Business Estate.
Mash Purveyors, distributers of quality fruit & veg to some of London’s top restaurants and hotels, is relocating from its current base in New Covent Garden to what will become its new UK headquarters.
Commenting on the appointment, Howard Russell’s pre-construction manager Craig Muldoon said: “This instruction is a fantastic way to conclude what will be Howard Russell’s most successful year since the business was established in 1997.
“As a result of this latest contract win we are set to triple our turnover to £15 million, which is a significant milestone and one that has exceeded our expectations.
“We are looking forward to working with Mash Purveyors on what will be our first London based instruction and a highly specialist fit-out including various refrigeration rooms for storage of their fresh produce.”
The refurbishment will be the firm’s first BIM (Building Information Modelling) compliant job requiring significant investment in IT upgrades, software and staff training to meet the latest BIM standards.
Contracts manager, Barry Wilkinson, explained that all large public sector buildings must be completed using the BIM approach by 2016, and that Howard Russell has taken the necessary steps in readiness for the date.
“Our team has been collaborating regularly in our newly developed BIM Hub in our head office and have trialled various 3D tools. We are now looking forward to seeing what benefits this can bring to our new project in the capital,” he said.
Howard Russell’s record breaking year has seen the firm expand its full-time staff to 22, in addition to providing work for North East sub-contractors and suppliers.
The firm is currently working on over £9 million worth of developments including the refurbishment of ITV’s Gateshead office and an automotive manufacturing plant in County Durham.
The Park Royal Business Estate project commences today, with completion expected in March 2015.
The photograph shows Howard Russell’s senior management team which is delivering the project (left to right: Joe Prouse, David Varty, Barry Wilkinson, Ian Goss and Craig Muldoon).
