Balfour Beatty & Co Ltd

Sectors:

  • Utility services Electricity generation & supply
  • Construction Other construction & civil engineering exc railways, roads & inland navigations
  • Transport services Road passenger transport services inc bus, street tram, coach & horse drawn

Notes:

Established in London in 1909 by George Balfour, 1872-1941, and Andrew Beatty, d1934, initially constructing tramways in Scotland and also becoming involved in their operation and finance, acquiring a significant number of tramway businesses. By First World War period increasingly involved in construction of plant for electricity generation and supply, eg power stations, transmission lines, etc, from 1922 using Power Securities Ltd as a publicly owned vehicle for this; the latter came to own the business. It also diversified into general civil engineering and construction. 1920s diversified into projects overseas. In the interwar years the firm and its founders became deeply involved in the electricity industry through construction, ownership and management. In 1969 Power Securities was acquired by BICC Ltd [British Insulated & Callender's Cables Ltd] which in due course sold its cable business and renamed itself Balfour Beatty. 1980s undertook unsuccessful diversification into housebuilding. 1990s and 2000s grew rapidly by acquisition. Continues in 2015 as a major civil engineering and construction business

Groups: