Flynn shrugs off Brexit worry with UK move

TOP TEN Irish construction contractor Flynn has shrugged off Brexit concerns and opened a new London office to lead a major UK expansion.

Kevin Flynn, co-founder of a family business that last year posted turnover of €142m, told the Sunday Independent he is confident the contractor can benefit from pent-up demand in the UK once the political situation is resolved.

Flynn has appointed a London-based managing director, Paul Dennis, to lead its new office in Charing Cross.

“The UK office is ready for business in 2019 and we’ve a team of five in place with a strong pipeline of opportunities identified,” Flynn said.

The firm has worked across the construction sector in Ireland but in recent times has won major data centre fit-out contracts both here and in the Nordic region.

A small percentage of its turnover currently comes from outside of Ireland but Flynn said that the UK move would ultimately help to generate as much as 50pc of turnover abroad.

“We are confident that a [Brexit] deal will be done and the uncertainty that has negatively affected corporate investment in London will be lifted,” he said. “There is certainly a pent-up demand of corporate capital spend in the UK as the uncertainty over Brexit has dampened confidence. The UK is a great opportunity for us and I see it as a coiled spring.”