Name

Thurston Group

Legal name

Thurston Group Limited

Website

https://thurstongroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Modular Construction

NAICS

Residential Building Construction (23611), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220)

SIC

Prefabricated Wood Bldgs & Components (2452), Prefabricated Metal Buildings & Components (3448)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Modular & Prefabricated Home Construction (IMAFABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Modular/Prefabricated Classroom Buildings & Installation (EDAEABAH), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Modular construction
• Portable cabins
• Prefab buildings
• Offsite manufacturing
• Specialist structures

Headquarters

HQ city

Horbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Modular Buildings — Sale: Design, manufacture and sale of permanent and semi-permanent modular buildings to public and private sector customers. Turnover approximately £47m (year ended November 2024) with associated profit of £4.1m.
2. Portable Cabins — Sale and Hire: Portable cabin sale and hire solutions including anti-vandal, eco-friendly, fire-rated and storage cabins for construction, education and commercial applications. Core products include relocatable buildings adaptable to specific needs.
3. Installation Services: Installation services for modular buildings and specialist structures, including groundworks as part of turnkey packages. Payment terms include milestone-based invoicing for longer projects.
4. Specialist Structures — Bespoke: Bespoke specialist modular buildings and container solutions for nuclear, offshore, hydrogen, railways, utilities and logistics sectors, designed for long-term operational efficiency.
5. Cabin Refurbishment: Full lifecycle cabin refurbishment services extending the life of existing portable cabin fleets. In-house capability across design, steelwork and fit-outs ensuring short lead times and quality control.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Thurston Group designs, manufactures and delivers modular buildings, portable cabins and specialist structures from three to four UK manufacturing sites in Wakefield, Hull, Catfoss and York. Offerings span single relocatable cabins through to multi-storey permanent modular buildings for healthcare, education, construction, defence, nuclear, offshore and residential sectors. Turnkey packages cover design, manufacture, groundworks, installation and fit-out, with installation and refurbishment services provided as part of project delivery.

Product overview

Thurston Group is a UK-based modular building manufacturer founded in 1970, operating three primary product divisions: Cabins (portable relocatable buildings including anti-vandal, eco-friendly, fire-rated, and storage cabins, plus refurbishment services), Modular Buildings (permanent and semi-permanent structures for commercial, construction, infrastructure, residential, defence, education, sports and leisure, and healthcare sectors), and Specialist Structures (bespoke solutions for nuclear, offshore, hydrogen, railways, utilities, and logistics). The portfolio spans from single relocatable units to multi-storey complexes, delivered as turnkey packages encompassing design, manufacture, groundworks, and installation. Two acquired brands — Alsim System Building (temporary living and secure accommodation) and Storplan (specialist steel fabrication) — expand the Cabins division and fabrication capacity respectively. A WrxFlo-powered digital platform supports production management and supply chain traceability across all sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cabins (Portable Buildings) Extensive range of portable, relocatable buildings available in multiple sizes and configurations, including anti-vandal cabins, eco-friendly cabins, fire-rated portable buildings, storage cabins and relocatable modular buildings for sale and hire. Designed for construction site accommodation, welfare facilities and short- or long-term use as offices, accommodation or storage.
• Modular Buildings Permanent and semi-permanent modular buildings from single modules to multi-storey developments for commercial, construction, infrastructure, residential, defence, education, sports and leisure, and healthcare sectors. Delivered as turnkey packages covering design, manufacture, groundworks, installation and fit-out.
• Specialist Structures Bespoke modular buildings and container solutions for nuclear, offshore, hydrogen, railways, utilities and logistics sectors, including blast-resistant structures, equipment housing, offshore modules and logistics specialist structures. Designed for long-term operational efficiency in hazardous and challenging environments.
• Cabin Refurbishment Services Full lifecycle refurbishment service for existing portable cabin fleets including structural upgrades, reconfiguration, fire safety compliance updates, eco-friendly adaptations and aesthetic improvements. Extends asset life at a fraction of the cost of new units, delivered through in-house design, steelwork and fit-out capability.
• Turnkey Installation Services Comprehensive project delivery services for modular buildings including groundworks, installation and handover of fully functional buildings, covering everything from planning through to final fit-out. Often combined with modular building or cabin purchases as a single contractual package.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22% reduction in defect rates through WrxFlo digital transformation implementation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alsim System Building Limited (assets acquired)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2025Thurston acquired the assets, intellectual property and customer relationships of Alsim System Building Limited following its insolvency. Alsim (established 1992) was a leader in temporary living and secure accommodation, employing 52 people before financial difficulties. The acquisition complements Thurston's product offering and expands its cabins division, enabling manufacture of an additional style of temporary living accommodation.
• Storplan (MBP Holdings Ltd)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Thurston acquired Storplan, a specialist fabrication business, in February 2025. The 1,900 sqm York facility provides additional fabrication capacity for larger structural steel projects and complex modular construction schemes. All Storplan employees retained. Previously owned by MBP Holdings Ltd, also part of HLD Group. Combined portfolio of over 100 clients with turnover exceeding £60 million.
• WrxFlocoreTechnology or IntegrationThurston partnered with WrxFlo to drive digital transformation across its modular construction facilities to support rapid growth. WrxFlo implemented customised real-time digital dashboards across all four manufacturing sites, providing live transparency across every factory. Every component, weld and inspection is logged through digital ITPs (Inspection Test Plans), with full traceability from fabrication to site. The partnership has reduced defect rates by 22% and standardised processes and increased operational efficiency.
• WernickminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative technical learning session held at Thurston's Wakefield facility focused on fire safety, compliance and practical application of Joint Code of Practice (JCoP) standards. Knowledge-sharing partnership between two modular construction manufacturers.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wernick Group: Wernick is a long-established UK modular building and portable cabin manufacturer with hire fleet, permanent modular and timber-frame divisions. Closely comparable on product range (cabins, modular buildings, timber systems) and public sector customer base.
• Rollalong: Rollalong is a Dorset-based modular building manufacturer producing permanent and relocatable modular buildings for MoD, education, healthcare and residential. Direct competitor in UK modular buildings with similar heritage (founded 1960s).
• Premier Modular: Premier Modular designs, manufactures and installs permanent and relocatable modular buildings for healthcare, education, commercial and residential sectors in the UK and Ireland. Direct competitor in multi-storey modular and turnkey public-sector projects.
• Portakabin: Portakabin is the UK's largest modular building and portable cabin manufacturer, offering hire, sale and turnkey modular solutions across healthcare, education, construction and commercial. Directly comparable given overlapping product range, target customers (NHS, schools, contractors) and framework participation.
• McAvoy Group: McAvoy is a Northern Ireland-based offsite construction specialist supplying modular buildings for healthcare, education and commercial clients. Comparable in scale and product offering to Thurston's modular buildings division.
• Waco UK: Waco UK is a modular building and portable cabin manufacturer supplying construction site accommodation and modular buildings to UK public and private sectors. Closely comparable on cabins and modular hire products.
• Elliott UK: Elliott (part of Modulaire Group) supplies portable buildings, anti-vandal cabins and modular buildings to construction, infrastructure, education sectors in the UK. Closely comparable cabin hire and modular building product range.

Broad incumbents

• Algeco: Algeco (now Modulaire) is Europe's largest modular space provider with significant UK presence in portable cabins and modular buildings hire/sale. Comparable on product and customer base; substantially larger scale and broader geographic reach than Thurston.
• ATCO Structures: ATCO is a global provider of modular workforce housing, offices and specialty buildings with UK operations. Comparable in portable cabin and workforce accommodation products, particularly for construction and infrastructure projects.
• Modulaire Group: Modulaire Group is the pan-European leader in modular space solutions (incorporating Algeco, Elliott, Procomment) with UK hire fleet and modular buildings. Broader incumbent with overlapping UK cabin and modular building products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thurstongroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thurstongroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/thurstongroup
• Xx.com/ThurstonGroup

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thurston Group