Big contracts won as office fit-outs market buoyant after pandemic

AN electrical installation business which works on office fit-outs is seeing a big upturn in business.

Husband and wife team James and Jo Tudge said Central Electrical Services (CES) was growing, taking on staff and investing in apprentices.

The business, based in Ashby Road, Hinckley, has worked with big contractors on projects such as the Amazon drone delivery research and development offices in Cambridge, as well as sites for Boeing in Bracknell and HSBC in Birmingham.

Mr Tudge said the business was started by his dad and step-mum 30 years ago and he joined it in 2004 – prior to the couple eventually buying his parents out.

Mrs Tudge said: “It was always going to be the case that James’s dad and step-mum would retire and we agreed I would be the financial person and we would run it together.

“We’re moving into bigger contracts and a lot of the ones we’ve had recently have been £700,000, £800,000 or £900,000, and we have two £1 million jobs at the moment – including a brand new, four-storey building we are fitting out for the end client.

“We think this year we will turnover £8.5 million, compared to £5.9 million last year, which was a bit down because of Covid.

“We’ve got 42 staff and we’ve taken on three office staff and two site-based staff and we’re looking for more in the next year or so.”

Mr Tudge said training up young talent was a key part of the business.

He said: “One thing we do really well is invest in apprenticeships.

We’ve currently got eight, and take on three or four a year.”

The pair said investment in office projects remained “pretty buoyant”.

Firms moving to “agile working” meant fewer desks but more investment in things such as work pods and shared work areas.

Even downsizing was creating new work, as was the growing trend for serviced offices.