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Ten years at the top

AJ Contracts
Written by Roma Publications

Founded in 2004, AJ Contracts Ltd specialise in the delivery of construction schemes over a number of sectors, namely leisure, hotel, education, residential and office commercial […}

 AJ Contracts

Founded in 2004, AJ Contracts Ltd specialise in the delivery of construction schemes over a number of sectors, namely leisure, hotel, education, residential and office commercial industries.

Over the past decade the company has slowly built up a reputation for taking on a wide range of projects, but predominantly focuses on refurbishment schemes.

AJ Contracts Ltd has extensive experience working across the UK and has built up the business by developing excellent working relationships with its clients. Now in its tenth year, Premier Hospitality is celebrating AJ Contracts’ anniversary by taking a look at some of the projects which have helped to shape the company over the past decade.

Keen to get the inside scoop, we caught up with John Woodhead, Managing Director at AJ Contracts Ltd to find out what makes the company such a success. John spoke about the company’s relationship with The Gym Group, as well as a number of other projects which have turned one-time clients into repeat customers.

John said:

“AJ Contracts Ltd began life installing commercial kitchens within schools on the back of the campaign to get school children to eat healthier foods, from then we branched out into office refurbishments, hotels and gyms and now back to schools and office refurbishments again. One thing we’ve noticed is that over the last ten years we have come full circle and we now have the experience to tackle a range of projects within the construction industry.

“Our first job with The Gym Group was a fit-out for the company’s inaugural site at Hounslow and since completing this project we have carried out a total of 14 schemes. Working with The Gym Group, we have grown as a business and we will now complete gyms which range from eight week programmes to fourteen week programmes. Usually the sites we work on are empty shells, but sometimes the project will involve a complete strip out. The sites will often follow a set pattern to keep in line with The Gym Group’s offering, but occasionally the gym will be site specific. This is an ongoing working relationship with The Gym Group and it is something we are very proud to be a part of.”

A recent project for AJ Contracts was Qbic Hotel London, which involved the transformation of an office block into a £5 million hotel comprising 171 rooms. The hotel was completed in October 2013 and is now a very popular, vibrant venue for business people and tourists alike.

 AJ Contracts

Additional projects have included a £1 million office fit-out scheme at Liverpool Street Station, construction works for a school for autistic children in Wandsworth and ongoing works with an academy school in Shepherd’s Bush. The fit-out project at Liverpool Street Station was completed within a four month programme and followed the successful completion of a six-storey office fit-out project for the same client, a number of years earlier. To date we have completed a further four projects in various locations, Paddington, the West End and Shoreditch.

John commented:

“We won this recent £1 million project at Liverpool Street Station due to our earlier fit-out schemes for the same client and our ‘can do’ attitude.”

The work at the school for autistic children, Rainbow School (Part of BeyondAutism) began in 2010 with the refurbishment of the existing school building and continued with the creation of a new extension.

John said:

“Initially we converted a Victorian house into a school for autistic children, but more recently it has seen us complete a new build extension to give the school a changing room and a hall. We have been with this client since day one and assisted the school in conjunction with the design team in developing the building to ensure that it is robust enough for the kids, whilst remaining a pleasant environment for them to learn and play in.

 AJ Contracts

“Meanwhile the work on the academy school in Shepherd’s Bush started with a dining hall refurbishment project and now covers all aspects of the school’s maintenance. We started working at the academy school in 2009 and have stayed working with the school on various refurbishment projects ever since.”

John added:

“A lot of our business comes through recommendation and repeat business so when we speak to new clients they can see clear examples how we work and the results that we deliver. These recommendations help us achieve our next project. In addition to this we have to thank our valued subcontractors who are important members of our delivery team, many of whom have worked with us since the start of AJ Contracts 10 years ago.”

The last decade has undoubtedly been an interesting journey for AJ Contracts Ltd, but one which the company has taken in its stride.

John commented:

“We had a five year plan when we set the business up – we didn’t even consider a ten year plan. Suddenly its ten years later and we’re still going strong. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve what we have achieved so far, but it has been worth it.”

However, not surprisingly when asked where he sees himself in ten years’ time, John chuckled and simply said, “On a golf course somewhere.”

 AJ Contracts

For more information about AJ Contracts please visit: www.ajcontractsltd.co.uk.

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Roma Publications