The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 31 May 2025.
The company is a holding company for its subsidiary undertaking Swift Brickwork Contractors Limited. These financial statements present information about the company as an individual entity and not about its group. The results of the group are consolidated in the financial statements of the parent company, Swift UK Holdings Limited.
The company has no turnover and only incurs limited overheads which have increased to £16,702 this year from £15,025 in the prior year. The company relies on the trade of its subsidiary and as at the balance sheet date was owed £700,130 by its subsidiary undertaking compared to owing £21,133 as at the prior year end. The company also owed its parent undertaking £447,365 (2024: £nil).
There have been no changes to the investments in subsidiary undertakings during the year and as at the balance sheet date the company has net assets totalling £12,133,593 compared to £11,860,295 at the prior year end.
During the year, the company’s ultimate parent company Swift UK Holdings Ltd (SUKH) successfully transitioned to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) structure following a sale of shares on 28 June 2024.
The EOT structure was established to secure the long-term independence of the group, preserve its culture, and fully embed employee engagement and ownership into the company’s future strategy and governance. This model ensures that the success of the business directly benefits its employees, who are central to its continued growth and performance.
Principal risks and uncertainties
Like all businesses the company faces a number of risks and uncertainties. Some of these are outside of the Board's control, for example the macro economic environment, whilst for others the Board can, to some extent, exercise a degree of control over them. The company is reliant on its subsidiary trade and therefore the key risks associated as part of the group. The key risks and uncertainties of the group over which the Board can exert a degree of control are:
• being able to source sufficient labour at the right price, at the right time and in the right place;
• being able to generate enough cash flow to continue funding its operations; and
• inaccurate pricing of fixed priced projects especially during periods of high inflation.
To mitigate these risks and uncertainties:
• the group engages with approximately 500 operatives across London and the South East and therefore has the ability to transfer resources accordingly. We also proactively and regularly recruit apprentices into the business;
• the group regularly reviews cash flow forecasts to highlight potential "pinch points"; and
• tenders for work are reviewed by senior management before being submitted.
Financial Instruments
Risk management
The group operates a treasury function which is responsible for managing the liquidity and interest associated with the group's activities.
The group manages interest rate risks arising from its activities, and bank overdrafts and loans, the main purpose of which is to raise finance for the group's operations. In addition, the company has various other financial assets and liabilities such as trade debtors and trade creditors arising directly from its operations.
Liquidity risk
The group manages its cash and borrowing requirements in order to maximise interest income and minimise interest expense, whilst ensuring the group has sufficient liquid resources to meet the operating needs of the business. Funds are transferred between group companies to assist in managing this risk.
Interest rate risk
The group is exposed to fair value interest rate risk on its borrowings and cash flow interest rate risk on bank overdrafts and loans. The group manages the mix of fixed and variable rate debt so as to reduce its exposure to changes in interest rates.
Credit risk
Investments of cash surpluses and borrowings are made through banks and companies which must fulfil credit rating criteria approved by the Board. All customers who wish to trade on credit terms are subject to credit verification procedures. Trade debtors are monitored on an ongoing basis and provision is made for doubtful debts where necessary.
The Directors recognise their duties under S172 of the Companies Act 2006 to act in good faith and to promote the success of the group and company. The key to achieving this is the development and nurturing of strong relationships with our most important stakeholders such as clients, employees, suppliers and sub-contractors.
Clients
We aim to deliver “excellence without compromise” on all the projects we are involved in. For many years the company’s subsidiary Swift Brickwork Contractors Limited has worked with a relatively small number of Tier 1 contractors with which it has had and continues to have repeat business from. Developing and maintaining close relationships with these clients is therefore critical to the group’s success. The senior management team regularly meet with clients to ensure we are delivering in a professional manner and hence meeting their expectations and requirements.
Employees
Fundamental to our success is the passion, dedication and skill of our people be it on site or in the supporting office roles. The company recognises the key role played in its success by its people. We encourage staff to undertake ongoing training and development to ensure they keep their skills up to date but also to help further their career progression within the business. The company's subsidiary Swift Brickwork Contractors Limited has a very proud tradition of investing in the bricklaying skills of the future and each year it takes on a number of new trainees on its bricklaying apprenticeship program.
Suppliers and subcontractors
We aim to build very strong relationships with our supply chain business partners. We value all of our suppliers and sub-contractors many of which we have dealt with for many years. Close working relationships with these key stakeholders is key to the company’s success. To this end we maintain regular contact on an informal basis with them to discuss our mutually beneficial business opportunities.
Customer Care and Corporate Social Responsibility
The company has placed the utmost importance on delivering a quality service, in a safe manner and with full regard and respect for the environment. These core values have provided the foundation upon which the company operates.
By being both a successful and responsible business, not only do we meet the requirements of our clients, workforce and shareholders but also the wider social community and the environment in general.
We would like to thank all our employees, clients and suppliers for their continued support during the past year.
On behalf of the board
The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 May 2025.
The results for the year are set out on page 10.
Ordinary dividends were paid amounting to £7,290,000. After the year end Ordinary dividends totalling £4,000,000 were paid.
The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:
The company is a subsidiary and is included in the consolidated financial statements of Swift UK Holdings Limited and therefore it is not required to report on its emissions, energy consumption or energy efficiency activities as these are included in the group accounts.
Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The directors have chosen in accordance with Companies Act 2006, s. 414C(11) to set out in the company's strategic report information required by Large and Medium-sized Companies (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, Sch. 7 to be contained in the directors' report. It has done so in respect of results for the year, principal risks and uncertainties, corporate and social responsibility, and going concern.
We have audited the financial statements of Swift Construction Group Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 31 May 2025 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the balance sheet, the statement of changes in equity and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Basis for opinion
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:
the information given in the strategic report and the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the strategic report and the directors' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our: general commercial and sector experience; through verbal and written communications with those charged with governance and other management and via inspection of the company’s regulatory and legal correspondence.
We discussed with those charged with governance and other management the policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations.
We communicated identified laws and regulations to our team and remained alert to any indicators of non-compliance throughout the audit, we also specifically considered where and how fraud may occur within the company.
The potential effect of these laws and regulations on the financial statements varies considerably.
Firstly, the company is subject to laws and regulations that directly affect the financial statements, including: the company’s constitution, relevant financial reporting standards; company law; tax legislation and distributable profits legislation and we assess the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our procedures on the related financial statement items.
Secondly the company is subject to many other laws and regulations where the consequences of non-compliance could have a material effect on the amounts or disclosures in the financial statements, for instance through the imposition of fines and penalties, or through losses arising from litigations. We identified the following areas as those most likely to have such an affect: data protection legislation and anti-bribery and anti-corruption legislation.
ISAs (UK) limit the required procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations and no procedures over and above those already noted are required. These limited procedures did not identify any actual or suspected non-compliance with laws and regulations that could have a material impact on the financial statements.
In relation to fraud, we performed the following specific procedures in addition to those already noted:
Challenging assumptions made by management in its significant accounting estimates;
Identifying and testing journal entries during the year and around the year end, in particular any entries posted with unusual nominal ledger account combinations and journal entries posted by senior management;
Performing analytical procedures to identify unexpected movements in account balances which may be indicative of fraud;
Ensuring that testing undertaken on both the performance statement, and the Balance Sheet includes a number of items selected on a random basis; and
Discussions with management.
These procedures did not identify any actual or suspected fraudulent irregularity that could have a material impact on the financial statements.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with ISAs (UK). For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the procedures that we are required to undertake would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remains a high risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these might involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentation, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance with laws and regulations or fraud, and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations or every incidence of fraud.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The statement of total comprehensive income including profit and loss has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.
Swift Construction Group Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Reigate Barn, Langford Road, Wickham Bishops, Essex, CM8 3JG.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company.
In accordance with section 1 of FRS 102, the company has taken advantage of the following exemptions:
- The requirement not to produce a Statement of Cash Flows and related notes.
- The requirement not to disclose key management personnel compensation.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Other financial assets, including investments in equity instruments which are not subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures, are initially measured at fair value, which is normally the transaction price. Such assets are subsequently carried at fair value and the changes in fair value are recognised in profit or loss, except that investments in equity instruments that are not publicly traded and whose fair values cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less impairment.
Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the company transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.
Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and loans from fellow group companies that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Derivatives, including interest rate swaps and forward foreign exchange contracts, are not basic financial instruments. Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognised in profit or loss in finance costs or finance income as appropriate, unless hedge accounting is applied and the hedge is a cash flow hedge.
Debt instruments that do not meet the conditions in FRS 102 paragraph 11.9 are subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss. Debt instruments may be designated as being measured at fair value through profit or loss to eliminate or reduce an accounting mismatch or if the instruments are measured and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis in accordance with a documented risk management or investment strategy.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the company’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
Equity instruments issued by the company are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the company.
There were no employees other than the directors of the company during the period.
The actual charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected charge/(credit) for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:
Details of the company's subsidiaries at 31 May 2025 are as follows:
A class shares have rights to all business, assets and liabilities. They carry one vote and no right to fixed income.
The merger relief reserve arose on the acquisition of its subsidiary in 2020. There have been no movements on this reserve during the current year.
The profit and loss reserves are wholly distributable.
As at 31 May 2025 the company was owed amounts totalling £700,130 (2024: £21,133 owed to) from a subsidiary undertaking.
As at 31 May 2025 the company owed £447,365 (2024: £Nil) to its parent undertaking.