What McCarthys does

McCarthys is a UK-based, family-run commercial design, build, fit-out and refurbishment contractor founded in 1979 and headquartered in Coventry, with a second office opened in Birmingham in 2025. The firm provides an integrated single-source service spanning space planning and 3D design, civil and building works delivered as principal or main contractor, CAT A and CAT B fit-outs, M&E installations, shopfitting, and in-house SH&E compliance (CDM, asbestos, water/legionella risk). It operates across six primary verticals — offices, education, healthcare, industrial, leisure & hospitality, and bespoke projects — serving clients from SMEs through multinationals including Knight Frank, Sytner Group, TeamSport, UHCW, St Andrews Healthcare, and Sumo Digital.

The business model is project-based professional services: each engagement is tendered or negotiated individually, with project values historically ranging from £28k to £5.1m+. Revenue is generated through one-time contracts plus a small number of framework agreements (notably TeamSport's 35+ UK and European venues). Pricing is bespoke to scope, with no public rate card. Distribution is direct enterprise sales — McCarthys acts as principal contractor, often through competitive tender, negotiated tender, or repeat-client engagement, supported by a website-led marketing presence, project case studies, and BCO/regional industry award recognition.

The company is privately held and entirely bootstrapped, with no external institutional shareholders. Leadership transitioned from founder Bernard McCarthy to his son Steven McCarthy (current Managing Director, joined 1997, construction management degree). The business is currently scaling: headcount grew by more than 30% in the trailing 12 months, it secured £11m of new business in Q1 of FY26/27 with a £19m forward order book, and it holds the full set of UK construction pre-qualifications (ISO 9001, ISO 14001:2015, CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline Gold).

Name

McCarthys

Legal name

McCarthys

Website

https://mccarthygroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McCarthys is a UK-based, family-run commercial design, build, fit-out and refurbishment contractor founded in 1979, serving SMEs through multinationals across offices, education, healthcare, industrial, and leisure sectors on projects ranging from £28k to £5.1m+.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Property Refurbishment

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Construction (23)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC)

Keywords

• Commercial property refurbishment
• Design and build services
• Office fit out
• Construction contractor
• Workplace refurbishment

Headquarters

HQ city

Coventry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Design, Build, Fit Out and Refurbishment Services: Project-based professional services delivering design, build, fit out and refurbishment solutions within the commercial property sector. Revenue generated through one-time project contracts of varying values from £28k to £5.1m+.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

McCarthys is a family-run commercial property contractor delivering design, build, fit out and refurbishment solutions across the UK. The company operates as principal or main contractor on projects ranging from £28k to £5.1 million+, serving offices, education, healthcare, industrial and leisure sectors. They provide a single-source end-to-end service covering space planning, construction, M&E installations, and SH&E compliance.

Product overview

McCarthys is a family-run commercial property refurbishment business established in 1979, offering a single-source solution combining Design, Build, Interior/Fit Out, and SH&E services. The company's core offering consists of four integrated service areas: Design (space planning, 3D surveys and modelling), Build (civil and building work as principal/main contractor), Interior/Fit Out (shell and core, CAT A and CAT B fit-outs, M&E installations, refurbishment, and shopfitting), and SH&E (health and safety, environmental services, risk assessments, CDM, and asbestos surveys). McCarthys operates across six core sectors: offices, education, healthcare, industrial, leisure and hospitality, and bespoke projects, serving clients from SMEs to multinationals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Services
• Build Services
• Interior / Fit Out Services
• SH&E Services
• Shopfitting Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 45+ years in business delivering commercial property solutions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kimal PLCminorOthersMcCarthys was appointed to deliver a fast-track project at Kimal PLC's Bromsgrove facility, transforming existing office space into modern employee facilities.
• Sytner GroupcoreOthersLong-standing client relationship delivering multiple automotive showroom projects including Ferrari Nottingham and Rolls-Royce Sunningdale. Sytner Group operates multiple premium automotive dealerships.
• Sumo DigitalminorOthersMcCarthys delivered a major Cat B office fit-out for video game developer Sumo Digital, converting a former department store into workspace. Project was BCO finalist.
• TeamSportcoreOthersLong-term framework agreement (15+ years) delivering fast-track fit-out and refurbishment of indoor karting venues across 35+ sites in UK and Europe.
• Knight FrankcoreOthersMultiple projects including £3.5m warehouse rebuild and £28k office wellbeing refurbishment for Knight Frank Investment Management.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Area Sq: UK commercial interior fit-out specialist delivering office and workplace projects nationwide. Comparable to McCarthys in target market (commercial occupiers), service scope (design through fit-out), and project-led delivery model.
• Overbury: One of the UK's largest commercial fit-out and refurbishment contractors, operating across offices, retail, and education with national reach. Closely comparable to McCarthys in service mix (design, build, fit-out) and target client segments, but at materially larger scale.
• Knight Harwood: London-based construction and fit-out specialist delivering commercial, hospitality, and residential projects. Comparable in design-build delivery and end-client quality (premium brands), though predominantly London-weighted versus McCarthys' Midlands base.
• BW Workplace Experts: National UK fit-out and refurbishment contractor (formerly part of the BW Group) focused on commercial workplaces. Overlaps directly with McCarthys on office fit-out, M&E integration, and live-environment delivery, though at larger average project size.
• Marstan Group: Midlands-based fit-out and refurbishment contractor serving commercial, retail, and hospitality sectors. Highly comparable to McCarthys geographically and in service offering, representing the most direct local head-to-head competitor.
• Oktra: UK specialist in office interior design and fit-out, serving enterprise occupiers across the country. Directly comparable to McCarthys' Cat A and Cat B office fit-out offering, with similar single-source design-to-completion delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• ISG: Major UK and international construction services firm with significant fit-out and refurbishment capability across commercial, retail, and public sectors. Operates at materially larger scale than McCarthys but competes in the same end markets.
• Morgan Sindall Property Services: Property services arm of Morgan Sindall Group, delivering planned and reactive maintenance, refurbishment, and fit-out across public and commercial sectors. Wider portfolio than McCarthys but overlaps on commercial refurbishment and public-sector (education, healthcare) delivery.
• Galliford Try Facilities Management: UK construction group with significant building and refurbishment capability spanning commercial, education, and healthcare estates. Adjacent rather than direct competitor — operates at much larger scale and with a broader portfolio than McCarthys.

Emerging players

• Spacemaker (UK): Smaller UK fit-out and refurbishment contractor focused on commercial interiors. Comparable in scale and service mix to McCarthys, though with less Midlands regional depth and less healthcare/live-environment specialisation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mccarthy_group
• Facebookfacebook.com/McCarthys-105457112818408
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mccarthyinteriors

Compliance5 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 McCarthys