United Living has acquired power distribution and street lighting specialist Jones Lighting Ltd.
Family-owned Jones is headquartered in Leyland, Lancashire. It provides services including installation and consultancy for local authorities and distribution network operators.
United Living said this morning (20 March) that the acquisition will strengthen its power market activities. It comes after the firm achieved National Electrical Registration Scheme accreditation in 2024, enabling it to carry out significant projects including designing new network connections.
United Living Group chairman and chief executive Neil Armstrong said Jones has “an excellent reputation for best-in-class service delivery and expertise in providing energy-efficient and smart solutions”.
“Jones will enhance our existing power services, and together we will better support the needs of our combined clients and the wider sector,” he added.
“This acquisition continues United Living’s growth in the north and reinforces our commitment to investing in sustainable infrastructure solutions that benefit communities across the UK.”
United Living did not disclose the value of the deal.
Jones managing director Dave Jones said: “We are excited about the opportunities this partnership brings to leverage our combined strengths.
“The investment by United Living will enable us to further enhance the services we provide to customers, setting the standard for excellence in delivery and driving environmental innovation and improvements.
“It will also enable us to build up and diversify our offering to our distribution network operator customers, enabling us to better support them on future workstreams and commitments.”
Jones turned over £12m in the year to 31 March 2024, according to its latest accounts. Its pre-tax profit stood at £1.8m.
In the eight months to 31 March 2024, United Living turned over £534.2m and made a pre-tax loss of £3.9m.
United Living was bought by US private equity firm Apollo Global Management in May 2023, after which it released funds for acquisitions as part of a diversification strategy to move the company beyond its previous focus on housebuilding and property services.
In April 2024, it acquired engineering services firm EcoGenR8 (trading as AFECO), which operates in the water, marine and energy sectors.
Armstrong told Construction News last year that the contractor planned to expand further into the infrastructure market.
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Ian Weinfass