Williams Tarr Construction has successfully completed a new high-tech Buying Office for Home Bargains at Axis Business Park, Liverpool.

The £2.5milion design & build contract awarded by Home Bargains parent company TJ Morris, involved the major conversion of an existing 25,000 sq. ft. building together with an extension and re-configured external works.

The prominent scheme provides modern two storey open plan office space for the Home Bargains buying teams, in addition to staff residential accommodation for their nearby training school.

The project was another great opportunity for Williams Tarr to demonstrate its commercial experience in delivering this state-of-the-art office space for an important client. The fast-track job was delivered on programme, and the high quality design and interior finish of the building provides a comfortable and attractive place to work for the TJ Morris team.

Working alongside Williams Tarr on this project were AJA Architects LLP and Fairhurst Structural and Civil Engineers.

Williams Tarr Contracts Manager Chris Lee commented:

We have enjoyed building these prestigious offices for TJ Morris, one of our best repeat business clients. We are always keen to deliver projects to the best of our ability and we are delighted with the outcome on this particular scheme.

On 26th January 2018 we celebrate the 100th Birthday of Williams Tarr Construction.

Established as Concrete Seacraft Co. in 1918, then becoming Williams Tarr and Co. Ltd in the 1920s, the business changed it’s name to Williams Tarr Construction in the early 2000’s to emphasise the vast portfolio of construction work which it was undertaking.

Today we are very proud to be able to celebrate our 100th Birthday, a major milestone for any organisation and one which we are extremely proud to be able to say that we have achieved.

Since our origin in 1918 we have delivered a number of large, complex and highly skilled projects throughout  the North West and further afield. We are proud to be relied upon by our clients and colleagues within the industry as a dependable, consistent, approachable and trustworthy construction company. We are proud of our loyal and professional team who have provided excellent customer satisfaction over the years.

The Williams Tarr family values and the ethos of our company ensure that we put our heart and soul into our work. We treat every project with utmost significance and we treat all of our colleagues as a part of our family.

To commence celebrations of Williams Tarr Construction’s centennial year, we were very happy to host a special evening for our annual anniversary dinner, held on 18^th January at Warrington Golf Club.

“This year’s anniversary dinner marked a truly magnificent milestone for us, one which the majority of companies will never reach” said David Wilkinson, Managing Director.

Williams Tarr Construction’s 100 years legacy includes many bespoke and landmark projects, completed across the northwest, and we are very proud to have worked alongside many large and well respected organisations throughout our history.

“Joining us at our celebration were a large selection of our friends and colleagues, including distinguished guests, clients and consultants. We were also extremely happy to be able to once again welcome Professor Patrick Minford C.B.E.” continued David.

Professor Minford, a leading economist, provided dinner guests with his expert opinion on “The economic outlook after Brexit” – a topic which inevitably generated a lot of interest from those in the room.

Following on from this, Williams Tarr is planning to continue its festivities throughout 2018 and  will take the opportunity to both reflect on the past and to look forward to the future.

“Our official birthday is 26^th January however we will be ensuring that our celebrations take place across the year and we have a number of initiatives planned” adds David.

“This year for us is about building on our legacy and realising what the future has in store for our great company. We will continue to focus on not only meeting the needs of our customers but delivering above and beyond their expectations.

Using our family values and ethos as the backbone of all projects, we will continue to provide high quality projects, delivered on time and within budget.”

Williams Tarr Director, John Hughes has recently returned from an epic three week adventure to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.

The trip commenced with a day’s sightseeing in the iconic city of Kathmandu before flying out to the short, steep, mountain airstrip at Lukla.

Accompanied by three pals from his mountaineering club, John then made a 17 day trek up into the Sagarmatha National Park, staying in village “tea houses” en route.

Their hike passed through the ancient  trading post of Namche Bazaar up to Gokyo Lakes, the highest lake system on earth. Then they scaled the 17.600 foot peak of Gokyo Ri to take in  tremendous “roof of the World” views of Mount Everest and three other  8,000 metre peaks.

They continued via the Khumbu valley to Everest Base Camp, staying overnight at the tiny settlement of Gorak Shep. From there the four climbed the peak of Kala Patthar, the high point of the route at 18,200 feet that gave them breath-taking close-up views of Everest and Nuptse.

At the end of the trek, they spent two days of well-earned rest and relaxation in Kathmandu. On his return at the end of November, John commented:

It was the experience of a life-time. With the reduced oxygen and tough terrain the trek was challenging, but the scenery was absolutely stunning at every step. We enjoyed blue skies and sunshine every day and were enchanted by the Nepalese people and their rich culture and heritage. Our Kathmandu based trekking company, “Visit Himalayas Treks” were excellent.

I want to go back to Nepal soon!

Williams Tarr has been awarded a £2m re-roofing and general refurbishment contract at Hindley Green Business Park, Wigan.

Following on from previous successful contracts working with consultants Tuffin Ferraby Taylor, (TFT),  Williams Tarr was selected for a partnering agreement to undertake the sensitive works within this complex and partially live environment.

Williams Tarr will carry out roof replacement and repair work and internal refurbishments to five units as part of a general upgrade programme.

After an initial phase in August to survey the building, determine the scope of works and develop designs, the main works commenced in October 2017.

As with any project of this nature it will require first class site management” explains Helen Oliver, Marketing Manager at Williams Tarr.

The Hindley Green project is an interesting challenge for our team.  Part of the estate will remain occupied throughout the works and our teams will  be operating at height, removing asbestos sheets and renewing  roof coverings on the existing warehouse facilities. We have extensive experience within this field and as a company we ensure that we use this expertise to deliver a safe and high quality job.

Williams Tarr is delighted to announce that we have once again secured a repeat business contract with an existing happy customer.

Alpla, one of the world’s leading packaging system manufacturers, based out of Stonecross Business Park in Golborne, has appointed Williams Tarr Construction as Principal Contractor for the next phase of development on its production facility. This will be the 3rd project that Williams Tarr has been awarded by Alpla since 2012.

The £500k contract includes new loading bays and plant room extension to meet Alpla’s on-going business expansion programme.

We are very pleased to be selected once again as this shows us that the quality of the work that we deliver speaks for itself says Les Parker, Commercial Manager at Williams Tarr.

This next phase of re-development will commence on site at the end of September and will last for approximately 20 weeks. The project requires extensive planning and co-ordination as all of the work is being carried out within a live factory environment. Safety will be our priority throughout, as will minimising any disturbance to the operational facility and its workforce throughout the duration of the contract.

Williams Tarr is very pleased to announce that it will soon be starting work on site at the Axis Business Park, Liverpool, on behalf of TJ Morris.

The £2.5m scheme will convert the existing 25,000 sq. ft. Home Bargains Training Centre into a high-spec two storey Buying Office.

The 24 week project involves stripping out most of the existing internal installations and the introduction of a 13,000 sq. ft. metal deck and concrete composite mezzanine floor. The existing ground floor slab will be repaired and some stanchion bases require strengthening to carry the additional loadings. The external cladding envelope is to be modified and new curtain walling entrance and lobby areas created.

The two storey main open plan offices have been designed with curved perimeter walls.  Various new ancillary meeting rooms, staff welfare facilities and toilets will also be provided.  A central helical feature staircase in an open void, protected by stainless steel and glass balustrading. Raised access floors are to be installed and all finishes and M&E installations will be to Grade A office specification standards.

This is another repeat business win for Williams Tarr who has successfully delivered a number of major Home Bargains projects for TJ Morris in recent years.

Managing Director, David Wilkinson says “It’s always pleasing to know that we have done a good job by receiving repeat work from existing customers. We are delighted to have been awarded this new prestigious office project, by TJ Morris.”

Williams Tarr Construction is pleased to announce the appointment of Helen Oliver as Business Development and Marketing Manager.

Helen is reporting directly into Managing Director, David Wilkinson, and will be responsible for building on existing relationships, developing the new projects pipeline, leading and developing marketing projects and the development and promotion of the Williams Tarr brand.

Helen has taken on this role to support Business Development Executive Elaine Bannon.

Helen will ensure that she maintains the strong contract database whilst using her wealth of marketing and brand management experience to promote Williams Tarr effectively within the North of England construction sector. She will be focusing on increasing engagement both with current clients and new business.

The appointment of Helen comes ahead of a big year for Williams Tarr, which will be celebrating its centenary year in 2018.  In preparation of that Helen will focus on its brand messages and positioning to ensure that the Company is maximising the communication of this knowledge and experience. Helen will also use her experience, within the Utilities, Retail, Construction and Healthcare sectors to maximise future opportunities for the Company.

“I am delighted to be given this opportunity. It’s great to be able to work for such an established and successful local company” Says Helen.

“I will be working alongside Elaine, who has worked within the industry for over 25 years and I welcome the opportunity to learn from her.”

 Before joining Williams Tarr Helen held various positions across both the public and private sectors. Helen has an honours degree in PR, Professional Diploma in Marketing (DipM) and is an Accredited member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (ACIM).

Williams Tarr is very pleased to announce that it has been appointed by Hammerson to carry out extensive reconfiguration work, of the former Currys/PC World retail store, at Ravenhead Retail Park St Helens.

The existing 40,000 sq. ft. unit is to be subdivided to create up to 4 additional units at this popular retail park.

As part of the required scope of work, Williams Tarr will be stripping out the existing unit, sub-dividing it and providing new amenity blocks, planar glazed shop frontages and entrances, new service mains installations and modifications to access paths and roadways. In addition, Williams Tarr will be installing a new “Giromax” roof coating onto each of the units, for long term sustainability.

Worth circa £1.3m, the project is expected to run for 16 weeks and complete in October 17.

Williams Tarr have commenced work on another two repeat business retail park schemes worth £2.5million.

At Willenhall near Walsall we are creating a new 31,000 sq. ft. Home Bargains store for T J Morris. The unit, located off the Keyway Retail Park on Armstrong Way, has lain vacant since fire tore through it a decade ago and it is now being brought back to life with an extensive reconstruction scheme.

Over in North Wales at Central Retail Park Wrexham, Aviva Investors have appointed Williams Tarr to carry out the strip out and major refurbishment to reconfigure two existing units into one new store for B&M Bargains. Work is well under way and the project is due to be completed in just 16 weeks.

Williams Tarr Construction M.D. David Wilkinson commented:

We are delighted to win more repeat works from these two blue chip clients. We strive to maintain a high standard of project delivery on all contracts and this ethos creates long term relationships that lead to further orders.