New jobs and vehicles for McAuliffe after funding boost from Lloyds

McAuliffe Group has bought new lorries, excavators and Volvo dump trucks to meet increased demands from its customers across the UK.

The seven new vehicles added to its £11.8m fleet comes after it secured £520,000 of finance from Lloyds.

The family-owned McAuliffe Group, established in 1970, is one of the largest environmental contractors in the UK working on new builds, roads and sewers for property developers and public sector businesses around the country.

From its headquarters in Northcott Road it specialises in transforming brownfield land – former industrial sites – cleaning up soil and groundwater and carrying out demolition, bulk earthworks and haulage.

The company used a hire purchase facility that it secured with the help of Ian Littleford, regional manager at Lloyds Bank's Commercial Finance.

The support meant it could expand its 60-strong fleet with seven new lorries, excavators and Volvo dump trucks that carry loose soils and recycled aggregates to and from client sites. The transport operation entails 5,000 tonnes of material being transported to clients, including Galliford Try, Barratt Homes and Bovis Homes, on a daily basis.

The new vehicles allow current contracts to be carried out more efficiently, and enable the firm to pitch to new clients as a result of the increased capacity.

As a result, jobs have been created in management and vehicle operations, increasing the firm's headcount to 85. Annual turnover is also set to increase from £14 million to £18 million.

John McAuliffe, managing director of McAuliffe Group, said: "Being able to reinvest in our business plays a key role in our continued growth, and securing the hire purchase facility from Lloyds Bank has allowed us to expand our fleet size to work with more clients and win new contracts in the future.

"Our close relationship with Lloyds Bank means that we are able to collectively evaluate the opportunities and challenges our firm faces as a component of the construction sector, and take the steps necessary to ensure we can continue to develop our business."

Adrian Burden, relationship director at Lloyds Bank Commercial, said: "McAuliffe Group has experienced rapid growth, and the new trucks mark continued ambition to develop its portfolio of clients and create jobs to support the local economy.

"The hire purchase facility that we tailored to support the financial needs of McAuliffe Group has allowed the firm to invest in its fleet without affecting the daily flow of working capital.

"We're committed to supporting small and medium sized firms like McAuliffe Group in this way, which is why we've pledged to grow our net lending to them by at least £1billion every year until the end of 2017."