14 | Aycliffe Today Business
Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 15
Newton Aycliffe construction firm Raisco
has secured a multi-million deal to build
new stores for Lidl after completing one
of the new stores in Normanton near
Wakefield, West Yorkshire (pictured).
Raisco managing director Gary Raistrick
says his firm’s turnover is expected to
tip the £7
.5m mark after celebrating a
new deal with European retailer Lidl.
AYCLIFFE FIRM RAISCO LANDS
MULTI-MILLION POUND FRAMEWORK
AGREEMENT WITH LIDL
Newton Aycliffe company
Raisco has landed a multimillion pound agreement
to build new stores for Lidl,
one of the largest food
retailers in Europe.
By Martin Walker
The construction firm, based on Aycliffe
Business Park, has been approved as a
principle contractor for Lidl after completing
one of its new stores ahead of programme.
Raisco finished the retailer’s new
Normanton store near Wakefield, West
Yorkshire, ahead of schedule, with its original
opening date being brought forward.
As a result, the Aycliffe firm - which
employs 35 staff at its 35,000 square foot
premises in County Durham - has now been
accepted as a principle contractor on Lidl’s
framework agreement, and has already
started on another site in Stoke.
The deal has come about after Raisco
worked for several main contractors on 20
Lidl stores over the last six years, fabricating
steel from its Aycliffe factory, before
eventually convincing the retailer to hand
them a complete build contract.
It means Raisco could construct anywhere
between three and 10 stores a year as part
of Lidl’s extensive construction programme
over the coming years - a deal which could
be worth millions of pounds to Raisco and
will create several new jobs at its head office
in Aycliffe and also nationally with site-based
staff.
Raisco are still providing steelwork for
other contractors and once again have just
successfully completed a new build store
frame in Newquay for main contractor Wright
Morgan Ltd.
The framework deal will significantly boost
Raisco’s annual turnover, which was £4m at
the end of March 2014 and is expected to tip
£7
.5m at the end of March.
“It is a significant deal for Raisco and one
which is really years in the making, said
”
ambitious managing director Gary Raistrick,
who formed Raisco in 2007
.
“It has always been my intention to
break into the construction market after
establishing ourselves in the steel fabrication
and secondary steelwork markets over the
last seven years.
“So it’s the culmination to a lot of hard
work over recent years and now we look
forward to working with Lidl on delivering
more stores for them.
”
It is rare in the construction industry for
projects to be delivered early, let alone on
“It’s the culmination to
a lot of hard work over
recent years and now we
look forward to working
with Lidl on delivering
more stores for them.
”
time, and Gary admits fabricating his own
steel in-house at Aycliffe is a key factor.
But he also had to convince Lidl bosses
Raisco was capable of handling a major
turnkey project and produce a programme,
price to do it accordingly and deliver it on
time and within budget.
“It’s testament to our team drive and
ambition that we secured a further project
prior to completion as our client could see
we were right on track and ahead of the
construction programme, he says.
”
“The way we construct means we can
get the roof on quicker, which means we
can start the fit-out quicker than other main
contractors. And we’ve done that much steel
for Lidl stores now that we know the detail
inside-out.
“We’ve also built up a strong team
over recent years and the experience our
management team boasts is second-tonone.
”
A Lidl spokesman said: “Raisco has been a
pleasure to work with, and opening the store
early was a major bonus for us.
“Raisco has been completely professional
A welder gets to work at Raisco's factory on Aycliffe Business Park.
and exceeded our expectations, and we
look forward to working with them on many
projects throughout the country in the future
throughout the country.
”
Since being formed by Gary, Raisco has
rapidly grown into one of the country’s
leading construction and steel fabrication
firms.
The firm has diversified from purely a
structural steel company to having the ability
to provide a full construc [ۈ X