Cousins Group Ltd

What Cousins Group Ltd does

Cousins Group Ltd is a UK-based painting and decorating specialist contractor, founded in 1975 by Robert Cousins and his father Ernest, operating across London and the South of England. The group delivers 100+ projects per year for tier-1 main contractors and major developers (ISG, Sir Robert McAlpine, Wates, Mace, Balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke, Vinci, Kier, Willmott Dixon, Multiplex, Berkeley, McLaren) across six sectors: residential, commercial, healthcare and education, hotel and leisure, industrial and rail, and specialist finishes. Notable project credentials include Heathrow Terminal 2 (£2.5M contract, peak workforce of 100 decorators), Royal Sussex County Hospital, Royal Marsden Oak Cancer Centre, the Royal Albert Hall 1871 Bar, and Royal Academy of Arts (£790k), alongside heritage works at Windsor Castle and church/memorial gilding projects.

The group's technical capability centres on specialist coatings rather than a software or product platform. Core differentiators include hygienic and anti-microbial paint systems for laboratory environments up to CL4 containment (delivered as 6-coat systems with embedded fibreglass), heritage conservation and lime-plaster repair via the wholly-owned Campbell Smith & Co subsidiary (tracing back to 1873), 22-carat gold leaf gilding, and epoxy/anti-slip/luminescent floor coatings for industrial and research environments. The workforce comprises directly employed decorators and an active apprenticeship programme; operational standards are certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, with a RoSPA Gold Award for health and safety and multiple Painting and Decorating Association (PDA) Premier Trophy Awards including Supreme Winner 2026.

Cousins Group operates a project-based B2B subcontracting model, tendering directly or being appointed by main contractors on competitive bids. Pricing is quote-based per contract, with individual project values ranging from approximately £86k to £2.5M and revenue recognised on a one-time project basis. In October 2024 the company transitioned to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), making employees beneficial owners of the business. The group is privately held, with no external equity funding disclosed, and operates from a London head office (China Works, Black Prince Road, SE1 7SJ) and a Chichester regional office opened in 2019.

Name

Cousins Group Ltd

Legal name

Cousins Ltd

Website

https://cousinsgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cousins Group Ltd is a UK painting and decorating specialist contractor, founded in 1975, delivering 100+ projects annually for tier-1 main contractors and developers across London and the South of England in residential, commercial, healthcare, education, leisure, industrial, rail, and heritage sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Eversley, England

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Painting and Decorating Services: Project-based contracts delivering painting and decorating works across residential, commercial, industrial, healthcare, education, and leisure sectors. Revenue is earned through one-time project fees based on contract values ranging from £86k to £2.5M per project.
2. Specialist Finishes: Premium decoration services including wallpaper hanging, gilding, polished plaster, and specialist coatings for luxury residential and heritage projects. Value-add services complement standard painting contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cousins Group is a specialist painting and decorating subcontractor that delivers interior and exterior decoration, specialist finishes, and heritage conservation services to main contractors and developers across residential, commercial, healthcare, education, leisure, and industrial sectors in the South of England. Projects range from £86k to £2.5M in contract value, with the company deploying directly employed decorator teams of up to 65 personnel on individual sites such as Heathrow Terminal 2. Heritage fine decoration is delivered through wholly-owned subsidiary Campbell Smith & Co (est. 1873).

Product overview

Cousins Group Ltd is a painting and decorating specialist contractor established in 1975, offering a unified service portfolio across six core service areas: Residential, Commercial, Healthcare & Education, Hotel & Leisure, Industrial & Rail, and Specialist Finishes (delivered through subsidiary Campbell Smith & Co). The company operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a platform-with-modules architecture, providing end-to-end painting and decorating contractor services to main contractors and developers across all sectors. Services range from interior decoration and specialist coatings to heritage conservation and high-end decorative finishes, with projects spanning from residential apartments to major hospital, railway station, and heritage building works.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Painting & Decorating Services Interior and exterior painting and decorating services for residential developments including student accommodation, high-rise developments, new build housing estates, private residencies, and royal palaces. Delivered to main contractors and developers on multi-unit schemes.
• Commercial Painting & Decorating Services Painting and decorating services for new build office spaces, warehouses, CAT A and CAT B fit-outs, refurbishment works, and planned maintenance for commercial clients.
• Healthcare & Education Painting Services Specialized painting and decorating services for schools, hospitals, care facilities, and universities with a focus on durability, hygiene compliance, and infection control. Includes high-specification hygiene coatings for laboratory environments (CL4 containment) with up to 6-coat systems and embedded fibreglass.
• Hotel & Leisure Painting Services Painting and decorating expertise for hotels, galleries, theatres, leisure facilities, and entertainment venues, including high-end finishes and heritage venue work.
• Industrial & Rail Painting Services Complex painting and decorating works for industrial facilities, railway stations including London Underground, and airports, including specialist floor coatings (epoxy, anti-slip, luminescent pathways) and works on live operational sites.
• Campbell Smith & Co Specialist Finishes Heritage conservation, specialist decoration, fine decoration, and restoration services delivered through wholly-owned subsidiary Campbell Smith & Co Ltd, drawing on heritage decoration expertise dating from 1873. Includes precise colour matching, compatibility assessment with existing finishes, lime-based plaster repairs, and 22ct gold leaf gilding for heritage projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ projects delivered yearly
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Single Homeless Project (SHP)minorOthers · 1 January 2023Charitable partnership commencing 2023. Cousins volunteers have painted and refreshed communal areas at SHP hostel in Bloomsbury. Partnership includes donations of workwear, laptops, and €33,000 sponsorship through Bouygues Foundation for 'Potential for Young People' programme.
• ConstructionlinecoreOthers · 1 January 2019Constructionline Platinum and Gold certified supplier. Government-approved certification scheme for construction contractors demonstrating compliance with relevant standards and regulations.
• John Sisk & SonmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Major construction company and repeat client. Long-standing relationship includes Royal Academy of Arts (£790k, 2018), Santander Unity Place (500,000 sq ft workplace in Milton Keynes), and multiple healthcare projects.
• Dulux (AkzoNobel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Founding member of the Dulux Contractor Partnership Scheme (mid-1990s). Long-standing strategic partnership for paint supply and technical specification support. Dulux recognised as main supplier on multiple award-winning projects including St John & St Elizabeth Hospital cupola restoration and numerous residential/commercial projects.
• Brewers Decorator CentresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDecorating supplies distributor. Sponsor of PDA awards 2026 and supporter of apprenticeship initiatives including donations to apprentices.
• Johnstone's Trade PaintsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPaint supplier for projects including Santander Unity Place and Brighton 3T's Hospital. Listed as manufacturing partner for PDA Awards 2026.
• Crown PaintsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPaint supplier for various projects including Brighton 3T's Hospital (scrubbable matt for feature walls) and St John's Catholic School. Listed as manufacturing partner for PDA Awards 2026.
• PPG (Manufacturer)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPaint manufacturer listed as industry partner for PDA Awards 2026.
• Campbell Smith & CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary acquired into the group. Heritage decoration company dating from 1873, providing specialist fine decoration, conservation, and restoration services. Undertakes heritage projects including Royal Academy of Arts, Marylebone Parish Church, and Windsor Castle works.
• AchillesminorOthersSupply chain risk management and procurement specialist for construction industry. Cousins listed as approved supplier through Achilles qualification.
• SafecontractorminorOthersHealth and safety certification scheme for contractors. Cousins holds Safecontractor accreditation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rydon Group: UK construction, development, and maintenance contractor operating across residential, healthcare, and commercial sectors. Comparable as a mid-sized tier-1 buyer with internal finishing capabilities that overlap with Cousins' positioning.
• Kier Group: Major UK infrastructure and construction group active in buildings, highways, and utilities — and a named Cousins client. Comparable as a tier-1 contractor whose project portfolios create demand for specialist finishing trades.
• Morgan Sindall Group: UK construction and regeneration group operating across fit-out, infrastructure, and property services. Comparable as a tier-1 buyer of painting and finishing services with internal trade capabilities that overlap with Cousins' offering.
• Wates Group: Major UK construction and property services group and one of Cousins' named tier-1 customers. While broader in scope, Wates operates painting and finishing scopes in-house and represents both a buyer and a competitive force in the painting trade market.
• Willmott Dixon: Tier-1 UK main contractor focused on construction, interiors, and property services — and a named Cousins client. Comparable as a buyer of painting services with internal capabilities that compete for the same scopes.
• Mace Group: Global construction and consultancy firm with significant UK fit-out and refurbishment activity — and a named Cousins client. Comparable as a tier-1 contractor whose project pipeline drives demand for specialist painting sub-contractors.

Direct peers

• Bagnalls: Long-established UK painting and decorating contractor with a national footprint serving main contractors across commercial, heritage, and industrial sectors. Comparable to Cousins as a specialist painting sub-contractor targeting tier-1 contractor relationships.
• Bell Group: One of the largest independent painting and decorating contractors in the UK, operating nationwide across residential, commercial, healthcare, and industrial sectors. Highly comparable to Cousins as a similarly scaled painting specialist with a tier-1 contractor client base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cousins-group

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Cousins Group Ltd