What Cousins Group does

Cousins Group is a London-headquartered painting and decorating subcontractor founded in 1975 by Robert Cousins and his father Ernest, now operating across southern England from a SE1 headquarters and a Chichester office opened in 2019. The group delivers 100+ projects per year with contract values ranging from £86k to multi-million pounds, serving tier-one UK general contractors and developers including ISG, Sir Robert McAlpine, Wates, Mace, Tilbury Douglas, Berkeley Group, Morgan Sindall, Balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke, Vinci, Bouygues, Kier, Willmott Dixon, Multiplex, McLaren, John Sisk & Son and Galliford Try. Sectors covered include residential (primary), commercial, healthcare and education, hotel and leisure, industrial and rail, and specialist finishes such as CL4 containment hygiene coatings. The group operates sub-brands including Campbell Smith & Co (a heritage finishing identity established in 1873) and Sharrocks, holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certifications, and has delivered heritage work at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Academy of Arts.

The business model is a project-based subcontracting model: Cousins Group bids as a specialist trade contractor into larger main-contractor frameworks, executing surface preparation and decorative or specialist coating works as a defined portion of the overall construction contract. Revenue mechanics are driven by measured contract value per project, with mix spanning small fit-out works around the £86k floor up to multi-million-pound specialist packages (e.g., £1.8m–£2m CL4 coatings contracts at the Francis Crick Institute). Distribution channels are framework-based: the group has held a place on the NHBC framework since 2006 and has been a founding member of the Dulux Contractor Partnership since the mid-1990s, giving privileged access to housebuilder and materials-supplier pipelines respectively.

Ownership transitioned to an Employee Ownership Trust in October 2024, ending direct Cousins-family control while preserving the operating brand, leadership and employee base. The group competes on credentials (50 years of trading, royal heritage references, ISO triple certification), on prequalification standing with tier-one contractors, and on specialist capability in CL4 containment coatings rather than on technology, scale economics or AI-driven productivity.

Name

Cousins Group

Legal name

Cousins Limited

Website

https://cousinsgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cousins Group is a London-headquartered painting and decorating subcontractor, founded 1975, serving tier-one UK contractors and developers across residential, commercial, healthcare, hotel, industrial and specialist finishes, with heritage credentials and CL4 containment capability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Painting and Decorating Subcontracting: Revenue generated through providing painting and decorating services as a subcontractor to main contractors and developers on construction projects. Work includes new build, refurbishment, and maintenance contracts across residential, commercial, healthcare, education, industrial, and leisure sectors. Projects range from £86k to multi-million pound contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cousins Group is a UK painting and decorating subcontractor delivering finishing trade services for construction projects across commercial, residential, healthcare, education, hotel and leisure, industrial, and rail sectors. Services include new build, refurbishment, and planned maintenance works, with specialist divisions in CL4 hygiene coatings for laboratory and healthcare environments and heritage conservation fine decoration through subsidiary Campbell Smith & Co.

Product overview

Cousins Group is a painting and decorating contractor offering services across six core sectors: Commercial, Residential, Healthcare & Education, Hotel & Leisure, Industrial & Rail, and Specialist Finishes. The company provides end-to-end painting and decorating services including new build, refurbishment, and maintenance works. Their Specialist Finishes division is delivered through subsidiary Campbell Smith & Co, which specializes in heritage conservation and high-end decorative finishes. The company operates as a direct service provider rather than a product manufacturer, utilizing paint products from Dulux, Johnstone's, Crown Paints and other suppliers for their project delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Campbell Smith & Co: Heritage and specialist fine decoration company operating under the Cousins Group umbrella, known for conservation and restoration work dating from 1873.

Products and services

• Commercial Painting & Decorating Services Painting and decorating services for new build office spaces, warehouses, CAT A and B fit-outs, refurbishment, and planned maintenance works. Delivered as a subcontractor for commercial construction projects.
• Residential Painting & Decorating Services Painting and decorating services for student accommodation, large multi-story high-rise developments, new build housing estates, private residencies, and Royal Palaces. Delivered for tier-one developers, main contractors, and housing stock providers.
• Healthcare & Education Painting & Decorating Services Painting and decorating services for schools, hospitals, care facilities, and universities with specialist anti-microbial and hygienic coatings, including reinforced systems meeting Containment Level 4 (CL4) requirements with air-tightness integrity testing. Works closely with specifiers and suppliers to ensure compliance in clinical and educational environments.
• Hotel & Leisure Painting & Decorating Services Painting and decorating for hotels, galleries, and leisure facilities including projects at the Royal Albert Hall, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, The Langley Hotel, and Royal Academy of Arts. Includes specialist decorative finishes and heritage conservation work.
• Industrial & Rail Painting & Decorating Services Painting and decorating for industrial and rail sectors including stations such as Liverpool Street, Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street, Abbey Wood, and Custom House, as well as industrial facilities. Focus on safety, performance, and compliance with complex logistical requirements.
• Campbell Smith & Co (Specialist Heritage Finishes)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ projects delivered yearly
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Brewers Decorator CentresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Paint and decorating supplies distributor that sponsored the PDA Premier Trophy Awards 2026. Brewers donated supplies including a Purdy Box and goodies for apprentice recognition.
• Dulux Contractor Partnership SchemecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Cousins Group is a founding member of the Dulux Contractor Partnership Scheme, established in the mid-1990s. Dulux is the primary paint supplier for most projects, providing products including Dulux Diamond Matt, Dulux WeatherShield, and specialist trade coatings. This partnership provides preferential access to products and technical support.
• ConstructionlinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Government's procurement and supply chain management service. Cousins Group holds Constructionline Platinum certification, enabling simplified procurement for public sector contracts.
• AchillescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction industry supply chain assurance platform. Cousins Group holds Achilles certification, demonstrating compliance with industry standards for pre-qualification.
• Single Homeless Project (SHP)minorOthersPartnership since 2023 supporting homeless individuals through community initiatives including hostel transformations, donations of workwear and laptops, and sponsorship of €33,000 through Bouygues Foundation for youth programmes.
• Campbell Smith & CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage painting and decorating specialist company acquired into the Cousins Group. Founded in 1873, Campbell Smith brings specialist fine decoration and heritage conservation expertise for projects including Royal Academy of Arts and listed buildings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Willmott Dixon: UK contractor focused on construction, refurbishment, and fit-out across public and private sectors. It overlaps with Cousins in project delivery and finishing requirements, but is a broad incumbent rather than a decoration specialist.
• Mace: Global construction and project-management group with significant UK fit-out and construction delivery. It is a broad incumbent comparable in enterprise project procurement and delivery complexity, rather than a direct painting contractor.
• Wates Group: Large UK construction, development, and property-services group that procures specialist trades and delivers large projects. It is comparable as a broad incumbent and customer or channel for packages like Cousins, but not a specialist painting peer.
• Balfour Beatty: Global infrastructure and construction group with UK building-project activity. It is relevant as a scaled buyer and competitor in the same construction ecosystem, though its portfolio extends far beyond painting and decorating.
• Morgan Sindall Group: UK construction and regeneration group with a large contracting and development platform. It is relevant because it influences the same enterprise and main-contractor procurement environment and can compete for broader project scopes.
• Kier Group: UK construction and infrastructure group serving public and private clients through regional businesses. Cousins is comparable at the project-delivery and subcontractor-procurement level, while Kier has much greater scale and breadth.
• VINCI Construction: International construction group with UK building, infrastructure, and specialist contracting activities. It is comparable through its project delivery and subcontractor ecosystem, but is not a close specialist peer.

Direct peers

• CLC Group: UK construction and fit-out group undertaking refurbishment, maintenance, and related finishing scopes. It is comparable because it targets construction clients and competes for packages across built environments, though it is broader than Cousins.
• Bell Group: National UK painting and decorating contractor serving construction, residential, commercial, and public projects. It is the closest operating analogue to Cousins' project-based, multi-sector decoration model.

Regional players

• Morris & Spottiswood: Scottish construction and fit-out contractor with painting, decorating, and refurbishment capabilities. It is a direct UK comparator for Cousins' specialist finishing work, albeit with a different primary operating geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CousinsLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cousins-group-ltd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Cousins Group