Ridge, the Built Environment Consultancy, announces the acquisition of Concert, to fast track its position in the data centre sector and strengthen its offering in the London market.
Ridge has seen sustained growth over the last three years, with its headcount growing by 500 to 1100 and fee income increasing from £55m in 2020 to a forecast of £110m in 2023. The acquisition of Concert aligns with Ridge’s overarching strategic vision of ‘Quality, Innovation and Growth’, reinforcing its commitment to be at the forefront of the industry by nurturing talent and expanding its expertise.
Concert, a London based firm of project managers, cost management and CDM consultants brings considerable capability and credibility in the data centre and commercial markets which have been identified as key growth areas in Ridge’s strategy.
Established in 1974*, their track record in the data centre sector has been built across a number of high-profile schemes, for clients including Ark Data Centres, CyrusOne, Colt DCS, Green Mountain and Form8tion. In the commercial sector, Concert has enjoyed long standing relationships with clients such as JPMorgan and Nuveen.
Adrian O’Hickey, Senior Partner at Ridge, said: “This acquisition is the next stage in our vision of sustainably growing Ridge over the long term. Concert is well established in two of our target growth sectors: Data Centres and Commercial, and their talented team bring a depth and range of additional knowledge, skills, and relationships. This acquisition will also strengthen our offering in the competitive London market. Our values and vision are well aligned, focusing on delivering positive client and employee experiences through innovation, collaboration, proactivity, agility and doing the right thing.”
Rennie Dalrymple, Managing Director at Concert, said: “It is a very exciting time in the data centre sector, joining Ridge will enable us to strengthen and broaden our services, supporting clients with their significant investment plans for delivering complex developments in the UK and Europe. We look forward to being part of Ridge and supporting the business expansion in London by combining our highly experienced teams to deliver market leading consultancy advice.”
Ridge has purchased 100% of Concert and its subsidiaries. The sale was completed on 3 November. Concert will initially continue to operate under its current brand with a phased integration into the Ridge structure in 2024.
About Ridge and Partners:
Ridge is a built environment consultancy, continually expanding its expertise and nurturing its talent – with a focus on quality, innovation, and growth. Its multidiscipline team of 1,000+ people is based across 11 offices. Ridge helps its clients transform the quality and sustainability of the built environment, offering clients access to a wide range of integrated expertise and professional disciplines. Ridge aligns its services directly to client needs, to help them navigate every challenge with confidence.
About Concert:
Concert has been providing first class consultancy services within the construction industry for over five decades, working with some of the world’s leading real estate and corporate organisations. Concert specialises in Project Management, Cost Consultancy and CDM services across several sectors including commercial, data centres, education, hotel and leisure, residential, mixed use and retail.
*Concert can trace its history back to 1974, when Bruce Shaw Partnership was founded which latterly became Concert.