The Southampton and South Coast industrial and logistics market has delivered a strong performance in H1, according to figures by global real estate advisor CBRE. CBRE Southampton let a total of 320,000 sq ft of space in eight transactions across the region, which included Yunex Traffic taking 160,000 sq ft of space at Bournemouth Airport, the largest letting on the South Coast so far this year. The site will serve as Yunex’s UK headquarters after it relocated from an existing site in Poole. Other key transactions included two units at Sonar in Portsmouth at a combined 30,196 sq ft, which were taken by global engineering and infrastructure firms and brought the development to 60% occupancy, while 37,000 sq ft was also let at Penta Park and 28,000 ft2 at Proxima Park (Phase 1), which took both estates to full occupancy. Southampton’s positive figures mirror the progress seen across the wider South East region, where H1 take-up was 1.2m sq ft. A further 615,000 sq ft of space was under offer in the region at the end of Q2, a 61% increase quarter-on-quarter.* Nick Tutton, Director at CBRE Southampton, said: “We’ve seen a healthy amount of activity in the first half of the year which demonstrates resilient occupier demand and whilst vacancy rates have increased across most regions over the previous quarters, we are anticipating the limited development pipeline and sustained take-up levels on the South Coast will cause vacancy rates to fall during the rest of 2026.” CBRE’s UK Real Estate Market Outlook Midyear Review is available here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

VINCI Construction Holding UK has reported a significant rise in profitability following the successful integration of its UK businesses, with pre-tax profit climbing 51% to almost £100 million as revenue approached the £3 billion mark. The strong financial performance comes after the French-owned infrastructure group completed a major corporate restructuring, bringing together Eurovia, Ringway, Taylor Woodrow, VINCI Building, VINCI Facilities and newly acquired FM Conway under a single UK operating structure. Combined revenue, including joint ventures, increased by almost 20% during 2025 to reach £2.9 billion, reflecting robust demand across highways, civil engineering, construction and infrastructure markets. For the construction sector, the results demonstrate the benefits of strategic consolidation, with improved operational efficiencies and stronger project delivery contributing to higher profitability across the enlarged business. Operating margins more than doubled during the year, rising from 1.7% to 3.5%. The improvement was driven by stronger performances across several divisions, including the return of the facilities management business to profitability and increased margins within Taylor Woodrow’s civil engineering operations. FM Conway made the largest contribution following its acquisition at the end of January, adding £569 million in revenue and almost £39 million in operating profit to the enlarged group. Among VINCI’s established businesses, highways maintenance specialist Ringway once again delivered one of the strongest operating performances, while Taylor Woodrow increased its operating profit contribution from £17 million to £19 million as investment in major infrastructure projects continued. Eurovia also delivered a solid trading performance during the year. However, VINCI Building and VINCI Facilities continued to face challenges associated with legacy projects, which constrained profitability despite generating combined revenues of more than £1.1 billion. The enlarged group also expanded its workforce significantly, with employee numbers rising by more than a third to almost 9,000 people following the integration of FM Conway into the business. Scott Wardrop, Chief Executive of VINCI Construction Holding UK, said: “These results are a credit to the six core operating business managing directors, their respective senior management teams in each of our principal operating businesses and all our teams in our business units and projects. “We have all endured significant change in our careers, but this intense period is unprecedented. “However, we are optimistic, and we have three-year plans for each business and each business unit, and plan to deliver +4.0% in 2026. “We will keep evolving through optimisation, innovation and transformation and continue to develop into a strong and resilient dynamic UK infrastructure group.” The results reinforce VINCI’s position as one of the UK’s largest construction and infrastructure businesses, with expertise spanning highways, civil engineering, commercial building, facilities management and major infrastructure delivery. As investment continues across transport, utilities, commercial property and public sector infrastructure, VINCI Construction Holding UK enters the next phase of its growth with a strengthened balance sheet, an expanded workforce and a diversified portfolio capable of delivering complex projects across the built environment. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals