Creditsafe, an online provider of company credit information, says that eight of the 10 most searched companies on its site in 2014 are from the construction sector.
Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins was the most searched organisation by those completing credit reference and company checks in 2014, with 17% more searches than the second placed firm, Farnrise Construction.
Farnrise Construction had been the most searched for company in 2013. It went into administration in April 2014 after a sustained period of cash flow problems.
Balfour Beatty and its Mansell subsidiary occupied fourth and sixth place respectively, after their well-publicised financial difficulties. Wates Construction and Morgan Sindall are the other big construction names subject to above average credit checking in 2014.
Only the supermarket group Tesco and office equipment supplier Spicers could break up construction’s dominance of the top 10.
Top 10 most searched for companies in 2014 with Creditsafe (and 2013 comparison)
- Travis Perkins Plc (up five places)
- Farnrise Construction Limited (down one place)
- Tesco Plc (up four places)
- Balfour Beatty Plc (new entry)
- Grafton Merchanting GB Limited (new entry)
- Mansell Construction Limited (down three places)
- Edmondson Electrical Limited (up one place)
- Morgan Sindall Plc (down three places)
- Spicers Limited (new entry)
- Wates Construction Limited (new entry)
Creditsafe UK operations director Rachel Mainwaring said: “Companies operating in construction and infrastructure are likely to come under particular scrutiny from credit and finance professionals due to the volatility of those industries, which are extremely sensitive to house price movements and large scale public sector investment."
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