What Smallman & Son Ltd does

Smallman & Son Ltd is a family-run commercial building contractor founded in the 1980s and headquartered at 122 Fairfax Road, Leicester, United Kingdom. The company delivers construction, refurbishment, and bespoke joinery services across the Midlands and throughout the UK, with a portfolio spanning public sector building contracts, commercial and industrial refurbishments, hospitality fit-outs (bars, restaurants, hotels), education-sector works, conservation and church projects, and DDA-compliance upgrades. Its client base includes local councils (Leicester City Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council), higher-education institutions (University of Leicester, RNIB College Loughborough, Regent College), industrial firms (British Gypsum), hospitality operators (Edgbaston Boutique Hotel, Loxley's, Bodega Cantina), and non-profits (Rainbows Children's Hospice).

The firm operates an in-house 2,116 sq. ft. commercial joinery workshop in Leicester, branded as Fairfax Joinery, which manufactures bespoke shop fittings, furniture, and joinery items for both its own construction projects and external clients. This vertical integration provides direct control over quality and scheduling on joinery-heavy schemes. The firm maintains multiple prequalification credentials — Constructionline, CHAS, FMB, SafeContractor, and RICS — and its workforce is security-cleared to the highest level for government and public sector works. It holds a long-standing strategic design partnership with Faber Design & Architecture.

Revenue is generated on a project-by-project basis through one-time contracts, with no recurring licensing, subscription, or framework model. Disclosed contract values range from £40,000 (Loxley's 48-hour bar refurbishment) to £520,000 (Edgbaston Boutique Hotel turnkey conversion), with the majority of named projects in the £100k-£200k band. The firm employs approximately six staff — quantity surveyors, project managers, craftsmen, and builders — and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The business is led by Managing Director Brian Garrity, who also established the Smallman & Son Foundation in 2014 with the Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Community Foundation.

Name

Smallman & Son Ltd

Legal name

Smallman & Son Ltd

Website

https://smallmanandson.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smallman & Son Ltd is a family-run commercial building contractor in Leicester, UK, delivering construction, refurbishment, and bespoke joinery services across the Midlands and UK for public sector, education, hospitality, and commercial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Joinery, Millwork & Casework Installation (Cabinetry, Built-Ins) (IMAFANAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial building contractors
• Construction refurbishment services
• Commercial joinery manufacturing
• Shop fitting services
• Public sector construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction and Refurbishment Services: Project-based construction services including refurbishments, new builds, commercial joinery, shop fitting, and public sector works. Revenue generated through one-time project contracts with various public and private sector clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Smallman & Son is a family-run commercial building contractor delivering project-based construction, refurbishment, and bespoke joinery services from its Leicester headquarters and 2116 sq. ft. in-house joinery workshop. Core offerings include public sector building contracts, office and commercial refurbishments, commercial joinery and shop fitting, residential projects, and DDA-compliance works. The company serves government bodies, educational institutions, hospitality operators, healthcare and non-profit clients across the Midlands and throughout the UK.

Product overview

Smallman & Son Ltd operates as a family-run commercial building contractor offering a diverse portfolio of construction and manufacturing services. The company provides six core service offerings: Public Sector Building Contracts (delivering value to government and public sector works across the Midlands and UK), Refurbishments (office, commercial, and industrial projects), Commercial Joinery (with an in-house 2116 sq. ft. workshop in Leicester), Shop Fitting (bespoke furniture and joinery manufacturing), Residential Projects (for both corporate and personal clients), and DDA Compliance Services (specialist accessibility work). The company also demonstrates expertise in bar/restaurant fit-outs, conservation projects, church projects, new builds, and external works. All projects are delivered with an emphasis on quality, professional conduct, and budget/time adherence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fairfax Joinery: The commercial joinery workshop operated by Smallman & Son Ltd, used to manufacture bespoke joinery pieces for their construction projects.

Products and services

• Public Sector Building Contracts Delivery of value and quality across a broad range of public sector building contracts throughout the Midlands region and nationwide, including work for government organisations and public sector institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• All Projects Delivered On Time & Within Budget

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Faber Design & ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2016Long-standing design partnership on multiple projects including Bodega Cantina Leicester (£200,000 refurbishment), Loxley's Bar & Restaurant Stratford-upon-Avon (£40,000, 48-hour fast-track), Barn Conversion Leicestershire (£165,000), and Barn Conversion West Midlands. Faber Design provides architectural and interior design services while Smallman & Son delivers construction and joinery work.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stepnell: Rugby-based regional contractor delivering new build, refurbishment, and public sector projects across the Midlands. Directly comparable as a Midlands-headquartered contractor with overlapping public sector and commercial refurbishment work.
• TanRo Construction: Leicester-based construction firm operating across design-and-build, refurbishment, and fit-out. Directly comparable as a small Leicester-headquartered contractor with overlapping commercial fit-out and refurbishment expertise.
• G F Tomlinson: Derby-based construction firm with a long history of public sector, commercial, and heritage building work across the East Midlands. Comparable as a Midlands-rooted contractor operating in education, public, and commercial refurbishment, with similar regional profile.
• Jeakins Weir: East Midlands-based contractor focused on commercial and public sector construction. Comparable as a regional contractor with similar scale, Midlands geographic focus, and mixed commercial/public sector delivery.
• Clegg Group: Nottingham-based construction company with similar portfolio diversity across commercial, education, heritage, and public sector work. Comparable Midlands-rooted contractor with similar size and project typology.

Emerging players

• Midlands Joinery: Regional bespoke joinery manufacturer serving commercial fit-out and shop-fitting projects. Comparable as a Midlands-based provider of bespoke commercial joinery, overlapping with Smallman & Son's in-house Fairfax Joinery workshop capability.

Broad incumbents

• Willmott Dixon: Major UK contractor with strong public sector and education portfolio. Comparable because it competes for the same Midlands education and public sector frameworks, but operates at much larger scale nationally.
• Bowmer & Kirkland: Derbyshire-headquartered national contractor with significant public sector and commercial work. Comparable as a Midlands-rooted incumbent competing for the same regional tender opportunities, but at materially larger scale.

Others

• Faber Design & Architecture: Leicester-based architectural and interior design practice that has a long-standing design partnership with Smallman & Son across multiple projects. Included as an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, illustrating the firm's design-led positioning.

Regional players

• Beech Contractors: Midlands-based refurbishment and construction contractor. Comparable as a regional fit-out and refurbishment contractor with similar service mix and client base, though operating on a slightly different scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SmallmanAndSon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smallman-&-son

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Smallman & Son Ltd