A new illustration of the adaptation of Cornish small and medium-sized construction companies in the face of the slowdown in the construction sector? “For the moment, we still have as many requests for renovation,” observes, rather reassured, Hugues Bihan, co-manager with Cédric Morin of the Gabérico building company Quéau-Stervinou.
A small institution, this family business has been established in the Quimper landscape for just over a century. “The majority of our customers are not first-time buyers,” specify the managers, also noting that it is mainly the new construction market which has experienced a sharp slowdown in recent months, in Cornwall as elsewhere.
Reasoned optimism
“Our company has been diversifying its business for a long time. Today, we remain optimistic,” comment the managers, indicating that they have visibility for the next six to eight months. They are particularly thinking of the thermal renovation market.
The young centenarian over whose destiny they have presided since 2014 is even part of a dynamic of development: an investment in land and construction of just under a million euros allowing it to gain space in the sector of the Red Cross in Ergué where it is located. “It is also about improving the welcome of our customers; 70% of our activity is construction sites for individuals.”
A century of practice
With its fifteen employees and an announced turnover of between €2 and €2.5 million, for the 2022-23 financial year, the SARL is showing green lights. Hugues Bihan and Cédric Morin also rely on the experience of a family business which, a hundred years ago, was just a simple carpentry shop. Over the decades, it has developed expertise in construction-masonry, major renovation and extension of buildings for individuals and industries. Earthworks and structural work, wooden frames and frames, interior and exterior carpentry, plaster and insulation: the company preserves traditional trades.
The risk of a shift in competition
“There is a little more competition: we are starting to look at our margins,” concedes Hugues Bihan, nevertheless fully understanding the deleterious effect of a downward review. Because if the company’s activity is not directly impacted by the slowdown in new construction, its managers still fear a slight shift: “It seems obvious to us that other companies traditionally placed in the new construction market are repositioning themselves on renovation”, analyze the two particularly vigilant leaders. “But renovation is another job. Being able to provide almost tailor-made responses cannot be improvised overnight.”
2023-12-13 17:26:06
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