One Group Construction has launched a new division to specialise in small to medium-sized building projects.

The Ipswich-based group, a member of the EADT/EDP Top 100, already spans sectors including civil engineering, construction and home improvements, with brands including Jackson Civil Engineering, SEH French Construction and SEH BAC.

Building on a successful 2016, which saw turnover climb to £136m, from £127m the previous year, and profit grew by 40% to £8.1m, One Group Construction has now launched SEH French Building.

The new company, to be headed by John Ault as managing director, will undertake new builds, alterations, conversions and extensions, complementing SEH French Construction which undertakes larger scale commercial projects.

Group chief executive Richard Neall said: “We’ve had a record year in terms of profitability, and all our subsidiaries have performed strongly. More importantly, we’ve built some great schemes, and had fun in the process.

“Our success in 2016 was down to a number of factors – the market in general was good, and we were lucky to work with some great clients during the year, but fundamentally, our people have always been the key to our success.

“We have fantastic teams across the group working hard to ensure we’re winning the right work, with the right clients, and at the right price, and this focus is now paying dividends in terms of our profitability. I can’t thank our people enough for the dedication and hard work they put in every day, we’re really lucky to have them on board.”

He added: “We felt now was the right time to launch SEH French Building to cater for a gap in the market for smaller building projects.

“John is very well respected in his field, and his team come with over 100 years collective experience, enabling them to provide a comprehensive and unparalleled service to clients, all with the backing of a very strong parent company.”