Phi Group
Phi Group is the UK's largest specialist retaining structures contractor, designing, supplying, and installing proprietary certified retaining wall and reinforced soil systems for infrastructure, residential, and commercial clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersCheltenham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Phi Group does
Phi Group is the UK's largest specialist contractor for retaining structures, designing, supplying, and installing retaining walls and reinforced soil systems for infrastructure, commercial, residential, and industrial projects. Founded in 1983 through the import of the Permacrib timber crib system from New Zealand and formed into Phi Group in 1993 by merging Permacrib with Andacrib, the company has accumulated over 30 years of UK delivery experience and currently executes more than 300 projects per year.
The company's core technology portfolio includes proprietary retaining wall systems with third-party certifications: Permacrib (BBA certified), Andacrib (CE marked), Textomur reinforced soil, and HAPAS Titan. These certified systems are deployed by directly employed installation teams supported by in-house qualified engineers, enabling design-assist capability on geotechnical works where engineering judgement is critical. Project scale ranges from small residential schemes (e.g., £0.4m Urban Eden) to major infrastructure works (e.g., £5.5m+ A465 highways contract).
Phi Group operates from offices in Cheltenham (head office), Leeds, and Dunfermline, providing nationwide coverage across England and Scotland. It has been a subsidiary of Keller Group, a multinational ground engineering business operating in over 40 countries, since 2006. Revenue is generated through contracted project delivery to Tier 1 infrastructure contractors (Balfour Beatty, Costain, Galliford Try, Network Rail/Vinci, Buckingham Group), major housebuilders (Persimmon, Barratt), and large-format retailers (Aldi), with pricing structured around project scope, certified system specification, and installation complexity rather than subscription or recurring licensing models.
Phi Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Phi Group
- Legal name
- Phi Group
- Website
- https://phigroup.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Phi Group is the UK's largest specialist retaining structures contractor, designing, supplying, and installing proprietary certified retaining wall and reinforced soil systems for infrastructure, residential, and commercial clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Phi Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Geotechnical Construction Services
- NAICS
- Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors (2381), Masonry Contractors (23814)
- SIC
- Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), Concrete Products, Except Block & Brick (3272)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retaining Walls & Slope Stabilization (Embankments, Rockfall Protection) (IMAFAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Earth Retention & Excavation Support (Sheet/Soldier Piles, Diaphragm Walls, Bracing) (IMAFAOAD), Concrete Pavers, Hardscape & Retaining Wall Systems (IMADAAAE), Retaining Wall Blocks & Segmental Wall Systems (IMADABAJ)
Keywords
Where Phi Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cheltenham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Phi Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retaining Structures Design, Supply and Installation: Full-service provision of retaining wall and reinforced soil systems including design, supply of materials, and on-site installation by directly employed teams. Revenue is project-based, earned through contracts with main contractors, housebuilders, and infrastructure companies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Phi Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Phi Group is the UK's largest retaining structures specialist contractor, providing full design, supply, and installation services for gravity retaining walls, reinforced soil slopes, reinforced soil structures, and slope stabilisation systems. The company delivers more than 300 retaining wall projects per year using proprietary techniques including Permacrib timber crib, Andacrib concrete crib, Gabion baskets, Textomur reinforced soil slopes, and Titan modular block systems for main contractors, housebuilders, infrastructure authorities, and commercial developers across the UK.
Product overview
Phi Group offers a comprehensive portfolio of retaining structure and slope stabilisation solutions as the UK's largest specialist contractor. The product portfolio includes three main categories: (1) Gravity Retaining Walls - Permacrib timber crib (BBA Certified, 60-year design life), Andacrib concrete crib (CE Marked, 120-year design life), Gabion baskets (70+ year design life), L-shaped concrete walls, and Polycrib recycled plastic crib; (2) Reinforced Soil Systems - Textomur reinforced soil slopes (enabling site-won material reuse), 45-degree slopes, Modular block structures using the HAPAS Certified Titan system, and Concrete panel vertical walls; (3) Facing Systems - Soil Panel for soil nailed slopes and Gabion cladding for architectural finishes. All solutions are delivered through full design, supply, and installation services, with in-house engineering teams providing early contractor involvement and value engineering across commercial, industrial, infrastructure, institutional, power, and residential market sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Retaining Structures Design, Supply and Installation Full design, supply, and installation services for gravity retaining walls and reinforced soil systems using concrete, timber, recycled plastics, geogrids and metal, covering the entire project lifecycle from early contractor involvement to completion. Sold to main contractors, housebuilders, infrastructure authorities and commercial developers across the UK.
- Slope Stabilisation Solutions Specialist slope stabilisation services for natural unstable slopes and man-made excavations using the full range of Phi Group techniques (soil nailing, reinforced soil, gabion facing) to deliver optimal solutions for infrastructure, highways, rail and commercial projects.
- Permacrib Timber Crib Retaining Wall System BBA Certified timber crib retaining wall system with 60-year design life, quick to construct and aesthetically pleasing. Used for gravity retaining wall applications in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects including housing developments, retail parks, and highways schemes.
- Andacrib Concrete Crib Retaining Wall System CE Marked concrete crib retaining wall system with 120-year design life, designed to EC7 and EC2 standards. Suitable for highways and infrastructure projects where long design life and certification are required.
- Gabion Basket Retaining Walls Stone-filled wire or welded mesh basket retaining walls with minimum 70-year design life. Used for retaining walls, free-standing walls, acoustic barriers and architectural cladding on rail, highway, residential and commercial schemes.
- Textomur Reinforced Soil Slope System Reinforced soil slope system using prefabricated sacrificial steel mesh formwork to the face of the reinforced soil slope with geotextile and geogrid soil reinforcement. Can incorporate site-won materials to reduce cost and environmental impact, used on highways and infrastructure schemes.
- Modular Block Reinforced Soil Structures (Titan System) HAPAS Certified Titan modular block faced reinforced soil system installed vertically to maximise space. Used for level raising, earth retention and bridge abutments on highways and commercial developments.
- Soil Panel Facing System for Soil Nailed Slopes Facing system for soil nailed slopes using stone-filled gabion panels. Installed from bottom up following soil nailing operations, used for excavation stabilisation with top-down construction method.
- Polycrib Recycled Plastic Crib Retaining Wall System Gravity retaining wall system made from recycled plastic crib elements, offering environmental benefits while providing structural retention for sites with sustainability requirements.
- L-Shaped Vertical Concrete Retaining Walls Pre-cast L-section concrete gravity retaining walls for various applications in commercial and infrastructure projects where precast construction is preferred.
- Concrete Panel Vertical Reinforced Soil Structures Concrete panel faced reinforced earth structures using polymer straps for reinforcing elements. Used for bridge abutments and vertical earth retention on highway and rail schemes.
- Gabion Cladding System Architectural gabion finishing system for buildings and structures. Applied as cladding to new buildings or as free-standing acoustic and visual barriers for commercial and industrial developments.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300+ retaining walls designed, supplied and installed per year
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Phi Group
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Phi Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Phi Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Keller LimitedcoreParent company. Phi Group was acquired by Keller Limited in 2006 and became part of the largest independent geotechnical contractor in the world. This partnership provides financial security, engineering skills, technical knowledge, and access to global resources while maintaining local focus.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Phi Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cementation Skanska: UK piling and ground engineering business of Skanska. Comparable specialist contractor for foundations and earth retention serving major UK infrastructure projects, overlapping with Phi's customer base of tier-one contractors and public sector clients.
- Tensar International: Manufacturer and supplier of geogrid and reinforced soil systems used in retaining walls and slope stabilization. Directly comparable as Tensar TW3 systems are installed by Phi Group on infrastructure schemes (e.g., A47) and represent overlapping product categories in reinforced soil.
- Van Elle Holdings: UK ground engineering contractor providing piling, foundations, and ground improvement services. Comparable to Phi as a UK specialist contractor serving infrastructure, residential, and commercial clients with adjacent earth retention capabilities.
- Roger Bullivant: UK piling and ground engineering contractor. Comparable as a specialist foundation and earth retention contractor operating in the UK market with overlapping client base of housebuilders, developers, and infrastructure clients.
- Bachy Soletanche (VINCI Construction): UK geotechnical and foundations specialist offering piling, ground improvement, and earth retention. Direct peer in the UK specialist contracting market for retaining structures, slope stabilization, and foundation engineering.
- Maccaferri: Global manufacturer of gabion, mattress, and reinforced soil systems. Directly competes with Phi's gabion basket product line and offers comparable retaining wall and slope stabilization solutions for infrastructure and civil engineering projects.
- Aarsleff Ground Engineering: UK subsidiary of Per Aarsleff offering piling, ground improvement, and geotechnical services. Comparable specialist contractor in the UK earth retention and foundation engineering market with overlapping customer segments.
- Freyssinet (VINCI Construction): Specialist contractor within VINCI Construction focused on structural repair, post-tensioning, and earth retention. Comparable to Phi as a specialist retaining structures and ground engineering contractor serving infrastructure clients with overlapping capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- Keller Group: Parent company of Phi Group; world's largest independent geotechnical specialist contractor operating in 40+ countries. Comparable as the broader geotechnical platform of which Phi is a subsidiary, sharing technical resources and customer relationships.
- Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering: Geotechnical and ground engineering arm of Balfour Beatty. Comparable as a UK earth retention and foundations specialist; also a Phi Group customer (Balfour Beatty), illustrating the dual customer/competitor dynamic in UK infrastructure retaining walls.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Phi Group social profiles
Digital presencePhi Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Phi Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Phi Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Phi Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Phi Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Phi Group
What does Phi Group do?
Phi Group is the UK's largest retaining structures specialist contractor, providing full design, supply, and installation services for gravity retaining walls, reinforced soil slopes, reinforced soil structures, and slope stabilisation systems. The company delivers more than 300 retaining wall projects per year using proprietary techniques including Permacrib timber crib, Andacrib concrete crib, Gabion baskets, Textomur reinforced soil slopes, and Titan modular block systems for main contractors, housebuilders, infrastructure authorities, and commercial developers across the UK.
Is Phi Group a public or private company?
Phi Group is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Phi Group founded?
Phi Group was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Phi Group based?
Phi Group is headquartered in Cheltenham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Phi Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: retaining Structures Design, Supply and Installation.
Who are Phi Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cementation Skanska, Tensar International, Van Elle Holdings, Roger Bullivant, Bachy Soletanche (VINCI Construction), Maccaferri, Aarsleff Ground Engineering and Freyssinet (VINCI Construction). Broad incumbents are Keller Group and Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering.
Does Phi Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Phi Group.
What industry is Phi Group in?
Phi Group's product category is Geotechnical Construction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAEAH, Retaining Walls & Slope Stabilization (Embankments, Rockfall Protection), with a secondary code of IMAFAOAD, Earth Retention & Excavation Support (Sheet/Soldier Piles, Diaphragm Walls, Bracing). Its NAICS code is 237 and its SIC code is 1600.