Reputation drives rapid growth for North West construction firm

McCrory Construction Group, the Stockport-based construction business, was named the fastest-growing medium-sized business in this year’s list. Here, we speak to Operations Director Chris Fish, alongside Ward Hadaway’s Matthew O’Brien about how a young construction business has used reputation, relationships and the right team to build momentum in one of the region’s most competitive sectors.

McCrory Construction Group only began trading in 2022, but it has already grown turnover from around £4m in its first year to £19m in year three. The business was founded in 2020 and sits alongside McCrory Brickwork, a masonry contractor with more than 30 years’ experience and a household name in the North West construction sector.

That reputation gave the new construction company a route into conversations and opportunities that would usually take many years to build, but it also meant expectations were high from the start.

“We benefited from being springboarded from a very well-established company,” Chris says. “Without that, it would have taken 10 or 15 years to reach the level of clients and projects we have now. But there has been a lot of scrutiny as well. People knew the McCrory name, but they also had to see that we could do this in our own right.”

McCrory Construction Group operates across two main areas. It works as a subcontractor for larger tier-one main contractors, delivering structural alterations, structural steel and multi-trade packages on major schemes, while also acting as a main contractor on smaller projects, particularly in industrial warehousing. That dual model has helped the business grow quickly while developing its own track record. In its subcontracting work, it has taken on complex packages on major regional schemes, while its direct contracts provide the company with another route for growth.

From the outset, the company’s progress has depended on the people it could bring into the business. The McCrory name helped open doors, but the team still had to show clients that the new construction business had the experience, judgement and technical ability to deliver work at that level.

“People is a cliché answer, but it really is the answer,” Chris explains. “We have been able to bring in people we have known and worked with for many years, people we could trust and who would fit the business.

“Construction is a big industry, but in the North West it can feel very small. You get to know who the good people are, and we have been able to build a team around people who know how to deliver.”

That team was tested early on by two of the region’s most high-profile construction schemes. At Manchester Town Hall, McCrory worked as a subcontractor on structural alterations and internal stone restoration, with the package growing from around £7m to close to £20m over the course of the project. The business also delivered structural steelwork and architectural metalwork packages for the Manchester Airport Terminal Two Transformation Programme, one of the largest and most complex construction schemes in the region.

“Manchester Town Hall was a great example of being given an opportunity because of the relationships and reputation already there, but there was still doubt about whether we could deliver it,” says Chris. “Manchester Airport was another huge project in the region and logistically very difficult. There were questions at the start about why a two-year-old business was being given that kind of package, but we had the people and expertise to do it. Those two projects have become real proof points for us.”

Those proof points are now opening new conversations. While McCrory Construction Group remains rooted in the North West, clients are increasingly asking the business to follow them into other parts of the country, including the North East and the Midlands.

The company is also targeting sectors where it sees long-term opportunity, including rail, facade remediation and light industrial work, as changes in the wider construction market continue to affect project starts and developer confidence. For Chris, the ambition is not to pursue turnover for its own sake, but to grow at a pace that protects the standards, relationships and trust the business has built in its first few years.

“We talk a lot about sustainable growth,” Chris adds. “It is not about saying we need to hit a certain turnover by a certain date. We will get there by bringing in the right people and finding the right projects. If you employ the right person, the opportunities tend to grow from that. You find the work that suits that person and the team around them, rather than just chasing numbers.”

The priority now for McCrory Construction is to use that momentum carefully. The business has proved it can compete at a higher level; the challenge is to keep building without losing the discipline and close-knit culture that have helped it grow so quickly.

Matthew O’Brien, a partner in the Real Estate team at Ward Hadaway, said: “McCrory Construction Group has achieved a huge amount in a short space of time, but what is most impressive is the way it has done it. The business has taken the strength of an established North West name and used it to win trust on major projects and build a team capable of delivering at that level. That is not easy, particularly in construction, where reputation is tested on every job.

“What stands out is that the company is both ambitious and considered. It is choosing the right clients, bringing in people it knows can do the work and growing in a way that protects the legacy behind the McCrory name. To be named the fastest growing medium-sized business is a brilliant achievement for a company that has only been trading four years – Chris and the team should feel extremely proud.”