Groupe Legendre, a family-owned business founded in 1946, and a major player in the construction, real estate, and energy sectors in France, has now diversified its activities and expanded its geographical coverage.
Established as a three-man business in northern France seven decades ago, the company has grown into a multi-national group with 2,500 direct employees and a € 1 billion turnover. Legendre continues to be a family-owned business and is now run by Vincent Legendre, the grandson of the founder, who has also pushed forward the international expansion.
The UK was the first overseas country in which the Group set up a firm footing in 2016. Managing Director of Legendre UK, Thomas Vandecasteele, says: “The view was to bring French technical craftsmanship to the UK construction sector and, on the other hand, to learn from local practices and standards, to enable us to expand further into new markets, for example India, Singapore and Hong-Kong.”
Bringing a fresh perspective
He reflects that while the UK construction sector is more advanced than mainland Europe in terms of the ‘product’, for example, the development of the build-to-rent (BTR) and co-living segments, it somewhat lags behind in terms of innovation and complex construction methodologies.
Another difference lies in human resources. “Unlike in Europe, where the construction professions are well recognised and regarded with respect, in the UK, they have a rather negative reputation and are not something bright young people aspire to. Builders in the UK hire self-employed labour, whereas in Europe they employ people directly, creating loyalty and pride in completed projects. A focus on quality is something we would like to bring to the UK market,” he says.
To this end, Legendre UK strives to attract people from leading universities and is already enjoying success. The company now employs 7 graduates from UK’s top universities who work as site managers, intended to progress, relatively quickly, to project managers. Bringing this top talent to construction is one of the ways in which the skills level in the industry can be improved, says Vandecasteele.
“What also sets us apart from local competitors is our technical know-how. Historically, France has always had a very strong contracting business and as such, the technical abilities of French contractors are very good. Groupe Legendre has an engineering department which is 100 people strong. That’s more than even the largest contracting businesses in the UK have.”
Expert in its niche
Vandecasteele further explains that Legendre works within a niche of medium-sized projects worth € 20 to 40 million, filling the gap between large players working on € 100-million-plus construction projects and smaller contractors capable of handling those on a much smaller scale. “We would potentially consider larger projects as well but not at the expense of smaller ones. Small projects are an excellent training ground for younger staff members and we at Legendre have always invested in our young employees and their development.”
While Legendre UK does not specialise in any particular construction sector, its UK activities are equally divided between residential and office development.
The company’s first residential build project was a new mixed-use scheme on Dockley Road, London. The project consisted of the demolition of the existing industrial units (completed under a separate contract) to be replaced with 111 residential apartments on 9 floors including storage, retail, restaurant, and café premises. Completed in 2022, the project was a milestone in Legendre’s corporate life as its first investment in the UK, consolidating a long-term vision for the London property market.
Another successful project was the refurbishment of an 11-storey office block including two basement levels, located in the heart of the City of London. The building received a BREEAM accreditation and is targeting Fitwell and Wiredscore accreditations.
“Refurbishment of existing buildings is a hot trend in the UK as a result of a new set of regulations requiring office buildings to meet strict criteria from 2030 onwards. In London alone, this presents a great opportunity as there are many office buildings in need of upgrades to meet those new standards. And refurbishing office buildings in Central London tends to be technically complex – so this development plays quite nicely to our strengths,” says Vandecasteele, affirming that the company is open to other types of construction projects as well.”
Pushing for sustainable construction
Over its short existence in the UK market, Legendre can rightfully be proud of its growing presence, but Vandecasteele affirms that the management aspires to an achievement of a different sort. “We wish to help improve the contractor-developer relationship in the UK. These relationships tend to be hostile, and the industry is suffering from a lack of trust.”
“Legendre promotes full transparency and openness – key values of the Group. We also invest in our projects alongside our clients, and thus share the same interest and goal – to complete the project on time, within budget and to a high standard of quality.”
He points out that as a contractor, Legendre has no direct influence on a project’s sustainability credentials, but its financial involvement allows the company to insist on environmentally friendly materials, to reduce a project’s carbon footprint. “We can bear the increased cost of eco-friendly materials, e.g., low-carbon concrete. This is Legendre’s commitment to the environment. The Group transfers 20-25% of its net profit to a special investment fund that is specifically used for subsidising environmentally friendly buildings.”
An increased focus on refurbishment projects is another way how Legendre promotes sustainability. “In the construction industry, the most carbon-efficient action is to refrain from demolishing buildings, since just the structural elements account for 60% of CO2 emissions. Keeping the frame means a significant reduction in emissions.”
In conclusion, he reflects that despite the economic downturn, a serious shortage of labour as well as political instability in the UK, Legendre UK is looking to the future with reserved optimism. “We do want to grow in the UK, gradually evolving into a developer and investor. As such, we will be able to secure our pipeline, to influence decisions. To this end, we are set to strengthen our presence in the UK, and to invest in our development.”
