Willmott Dixon half-year profit up 13% as turnover holds flat at £544.8m

Willmott Dixon has reported a 13% rise in underlying profit to £12.5m for the six months to 30 June 2026, on turnover of £544.8m that was level with the same period last year.

The privately owned construction and interiors company published its interim results on 15 October 2026. Profit before tax rose to £11.5m from £10.0m, cash stood at £127.3m with no debt, and shareholders' funds reached £190.4m, which the company said was its highest ever.

Turnover slipped marginally from £548.1m in the first half of 2025. Willmott Dixon said the flat figure reflected the timing of major starts, and that work converted to main contract since January would drive growth from 2027.

Graham Dundas, Chief Executive Officer, said: "Our priority this year was to convert our record level of preconstruction appointments into main contracts." By the end of July the company had secured £746.7m of new work across 88 contracts, 89% of it under main contract.

The figures

Measure	HY26	HY25
Underlying profit	£12.5m	£11.1m
Profit before tax	£11.5m	£10.0m
Turnover	£544.8m	£548.1m
Cash	£127.3m	£122.0m
Shareholders' funds	£190.4m	£181.3m

The company said its secured order book stood at £1.37bn, with identified workload of more than £3.5bn and a total pipeline of £5bn. Its revolving credit facility has been extended to £50.0m for at least three years, with two one-year extension options, and remains undrawn.

The results are consistent with guidance the company gave in June 2026 alongside its full-year figures, when it said strategic investments were expected to lift turnover from 2027 onwards.

The new work

The largest award in the period was the College of North West London campus at Wembley Park for United Colleges Group, which the interims value at £92.6m. Willmott Dixon announced the contract on 27 April 2026, describing it as a £92m project secured through the Southern Construction Framework. Construction is due to complete in spring 2029.

The second largest was the Mosslands secondary school in Wallasey for the Department for Education, which the interim results put at £58.1m. The company's own contract announcement on 14 April 2026 described it as a £61m programme of works. The contract was awarded through the DfE Construction Framework High Value Band Lot 1 & 2.

Other wins listed in the results include £27.7m of affordable homes at Princes Gate in Oldham for Muse, the £21.7m Bransbury Park Leisure Centre for Portsmouth City Council, the £16.2m Bath Fire Station for Avon Fire & Rescue, and defence work at Kendrew Barracks. About 90% of new work came through more than 15 frameworks, the company said.

Dundas said: "Global conflicts continue to push up energy, fuel and material costs, and our customers and supply chain partners are feeling the pressure."

Projects on site and handed over

Summer handovers included the £100.0m Student Village for the University of Staffordshire, Greenheys in Manchester, the £60.0m national home of UK Biobank, and four buildings for four police forces.

At Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, Willmott Dixon topped out the £140.0m Emergency Care Building, the first Wave 1 scheme in the New Hospital Programme to begin main construction, less than 12 months after work started. The company said reaching that stage took 10,900 cubic metres of concrete and 1,900 tonnes of recycled steel reinforcement.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said the building will provide four clinical floors and is due for completion in April 2029.

Strategy

The company's 2030 strategy for its construction division, Building Our Future, was launched in June. It sets an ambition for Willmott Dixon Construction, which turned over £1.03bn in 2025, to become a £1.5bn business, with expansion in defence and healthcare.

The relaunched Willmott Dixon Developments has continued to secure partnerships with councils and public bodies. On 2 October 2026 Brentwood Borough Council appointed Willmott Dixon Developments and Milligan for the regeneration of the Baytree Shopping Centre, a £100.0m scheme in which the council will invest over £6m.

Executive Chairman Rick Willmott was appointed OBE in the King's Birthday Honours for services to the construction industry. He previously served as Group Chief Executive before becoming Executive Chairman.

Willmott Dixon said its priorities were to deliver the work it has won and to keep converting preconstruction appointments into main contracts as it approaches its 175th anniversary.