A family-owned construction, property services and development company, founded in 1897 and based in Leatherhead, Surrey, working on housing, schools, hospitals and public buildings.
Wates is a family-owned UK company that builds, maintains and develops homes and other buildings. The group works across construction, property services, residential development and facilities management. It lists subsidiaries including Wates Construction, Wates Developments (land, planning and homes), Wates Property Services (planned and responsive housing repairs), Wates Residential, SES Engineering Services (mechanical and electrical work) and Needspace, which provides affordable workspace. Its projects include the Victoria and Albert Museum extension (2017), Doncaster Civic Hall (2012) and repair and improvement work at the Houses of Parliament, and it says it has carried out retrofit work on 4,590 social homes for 17 landlords.
Edward Wates started the business in 1897 as a housebuilder in Streatham, south London, with the aim of creating better homes and the communities around them. His sons Norman, Ronald and Allan expanded it in the 1920s and 1930s. During the Second World War the company moved to civil engineering, and its precast concrete parts were used in the Mulberry Harbours for the D-Day landings. After the war it developed a system-build method for housing and delivered more than 60,000 homes. The family has kept control throughout, and the company marked its 125th year in 2022. Third and fourth generations were owners in 2018.
Wates does not publish a formal mission on the pages we read, but they set out themes. It puts communities and people at the heart of its work, talks about family values and long-term sustainability, and today uses the tagline "Reimagining places for people to thrive". The Wates Family Enterprise Trust funds projects addressing social, environmental and human inequality. The company has said it planned to introduce flexible working for all roles by 2025, which is a stated plan rather than a result we have checked.
The head office is in Leatherhead, Surrey. The pages we read did not list other UK offices, but the company's acquisitions in 2011 to 2015 of Linbrook Services, The Purchase Group and the built-environment businesses of Shepherd Building Group extended its regional reach, which suggests a UK-wide spread. Eoghan O'Lionaird became chief executive in 2023, and Tim Wates is the chairman.
The roles at Wates include site managers, building and services engineers, quantity surveyors, planners, repairs and maintenance operatives and supervisors, retrofit and energy-efficiency specialists, surveyors, social value and community teams, and people in finance, legal and human resources. Because the group repairs homes as well as building them, many of its staff work in people's neighbourhoods, which may suit those who like working with residents. Vacancies are on the Wates website.
Website: www.wates.co.uk
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