Shouksmiths

What Shouksmiths does

Shouksmiths (legal entity JH Shouksmith & Sons Ltd) is a UK mechanical and electrical (M&E) building services contractor headquartered in York, founded in 1820 and incorporated as a limited company in 1919. The business designs and installs complete M&E packages for construction projects, covering plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical systems, ventilation, BMS controls, sprinklers, fire alarms, security systems, data infrastructure, and renewable energy systems such as biomass boilers, heat pumps, and photovoltaic panels. Project scope ranges from small works around £50k to integrated packages in excess of £7m, delivered through both main-contractor and direct end-client engagements across hospitality, student accommodation, build-to-rent, commercial, education, and food-service sectors.

The firm operates a project-based revenue model with bespoke quotations per scope and one-time revenue per project, supplemented by repeat-client and multi-year framework engagements such as the ongoing McDonald's refurbishment programme. Itself employs more than 70 people directly and reports unusually low staff turnover, supported by an apprenticeship pipeline and office-based technical trainees working towards higher-education qualifications. The company holds the full set of UK construction sector pre-qualifications (CHAS, SSIP Acclaim, NICEIC, Gas Safe, Constructionline, F-Gas Register, APHC), which are prerequisites for tendering on public-sector and major main-contractor work.

Ownership is entirely family-held, currently in its seventh generation, with Richard Shouksmith as Chairman, David Shouksmith as Managing Director, and Edward Shouksmith as Commercial Director. There are no institutional investors, parent companies, or subsidiaries. Geographic delivery is UK-wide from the York headquarters, with notable completed projects in Leeds, Derby, Sheffield, and London, and the business has no disclosed digital platform, AI/ML capability, or recurring software/SaaS revenue stream.

Name

Shouksmiths

Legal name

JH Shouksmith & Sons Ltd

Website

https://shouksmiths.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1820

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Shouksmiths is a UK mechanical and electrical building services contractor designing and installing complete M&E packages for construction projects from £50k to £7m+, serving developers, main contractors, and end clients across hospitality, residential, education, and food service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mechanical and Electrical Contracting

NAICS

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (238220), Building Equipment Contractors (2382)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Process Piping & Mechanical Contracting (IMAFALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

HVAC & Refrigeration Contracting (IMAFALAB), Plumbing & Pipefitting Contracting (IMAFALAC)

Keywords

• Mechanical electrical contracting
• Building services installation
• HVAC installation
• Refrigeration air conditioning
• Renewable energy systems

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Mechanical and Electrical Installation Projects: Project-based revenue from mechanical and electrical installation services on construction projects. Services include full mechanical packages (plumbing, heating, air conditioning), full electrical packages, and combined M&E packages. Projects range from £50k to over £7m. Revenue is one-time per project with ongoing repeat client engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Shouksmiths is a mechanical and electrical (M&E) building services contractor that designs and installs complete plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical, ventilation, refrigeration and renewable energy systems for construction projects. It delivers full M&E packages from design stage through installation on projects ranging from £50k to over £7m across the UK.

Product overview

Shouksmiths is a mechanical and electrical (M&E) contracting company offering a comprehensive portfolio of building services. The core offerings include Mechanical & Electrical Engineering (full design and installation from concept to completion), Refrigeration Services (specialising in air conditioning and refrigeration systems), and Sustainable Solutions (biomass boilers, heat pumps, solar/PV, and energy-efficient systems). These are delivered as either individual services or complete integrated packages for projects ranging from £50k to over £7m.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Design and installation of complete mechanical and electrical building services for projects ranging from £10k to £5m+, delivered from design stage through to final installation. Targeted at main contractors, developers, and end clients in the construction industry.
• Refrigeration Services In-house design and installation of refrigeration and air conditioning systems for retail, commercial, leisure, industrial and domestic housing sectors, delivered by F-Gas regulation accredited engineers.
• Sustainable Solutions Sustainable energy solutions including biomass and wood chip boilers, ground source and air source heat pumps, photovoltaic and solar collectors, rainwater harvesting, energy efficient lighting, gas savers, and whole house heat recovery systems.
• Full Mechanical Package Complete mechanical services including plumbing, heating, and air conditioning installation for buildings.
• Full Electrical Package Complete electrical installation services for buildings.
• Air Source Heat Pumps, Ventilation, BMS Controls & Sprinklers Installation of heat pumps, ventilation systems, building management system controls, and sprinkler systems.
• BNO Distribution, Fire Alarm, Security, Data & PV Building network operator distribution, fire alarm systems, security systems, data cabling, and photovoltaic panel installation.
• Plantroom Installations & Refurbishments Installation and refurbishment of plantroom equipment and systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects delivered successfully from £50k to £7m+
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• APHC (Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors)minorOthersTrade association membership providing credibility and industry networking for plumbing and heating professionals.
• CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme)coreOthersHealth and safety accreditation scheme demonstrating compliance with health and safety requirements on construction projects.
• Gas Safe RegistercoreOthersOfficial registration scheme for gas engineers in the UK, required for anyone working on gas appliances and pipework.
• ConstructionlinecoreOthersUK government certification scheme for construction contractors, pre-qualifying suppliers for public sector contracts.
• NICEICcoreOthersNational Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting, providing assessment and certification for electrical contractors.
• SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement)minorOthersCertification scheme helping contractors demonstrate their health and safety competence to clients and main contractors.
• F-Gas RegistercoreOthersRegistration scheme for companies working with fluorinated gases under EU/UK F-Gas regulations for refrigeration and air conditioning.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Daikin UK: Major HVAC and refrigeration equipment manufacturer whose products Shouksmiths specifies and installs as an F-Gas accredited contractor, representing a key supplier/ecosystem relationship rather than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• K P Meiring Ltd: UK mechanical building services contractor providing heating, plumbing, and HVAC installations to commercial and residential construction projects, comparable in scale and trade focus to Shouksmiths.
• Vital Energi: UK sustainable energy and district heating specialist installing heat pumps, biomass, CHP, and heat networks - directly comparable to Shouksmiths' sustainable solutions division and active in similar decarbonisation-driven projects.
• R H Irving Aerospace & Industrial: UK mechanical and electrical contractor with similar size and multi-trade capability serving construction clients across the north of England, making it a close direct competitor for comparable commercial and industrial M&E projects.
• Dodd Group: UK-based mechanical and electrical building services contractor of comparable size (around 250 staff, multi-region) offering full M&E design and installation across commercial, education, healthcare, and residential projects - the closest scale and scope analogue to Shouksmiths.
• Briggs & Forrester (Invoke): UK specialist M&E contractor delivering mechanical and electrical building services packages for commercial and residential schemes, offering similar full-package capabilities to main contractors and developers as Shouksmiths.
• MJ Wilson Group: Mid-sized UK M&E building services contractor delivering mechanical, electrical, and plumbing packages for construction projects in the commercial, residential, and education sectors, directly comparable in scope and regional reach to Shouksmiths.
• Briant Group: Southern UK M&E contractor covering mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and renewable energy installations for construction projects - comparable multi-trade offering to Shouksmiths with overlap in commercial, education, and hospitality segments.

Broad incumbents

• Skanska UK Building Services: Large UK contractor with integrated mechanical and electrical building services capability as part of a broader construction portfolio, competing for large commercial and infrastructure projects but at a different scale and risk profile than Shouksmiths.
• EQUANS (formerly Imtech) UK: National M&E and facilities services provider offering full-scope building services to large commercial, infrastructure, and public sector clients - a much larger incumbent competing for the upper end of the project market Shouksmiths serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/j-h-shouksmith-&-sons-ltd

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Shouksmiths