PKF Littlejohn Advisory appointed administrator of Caldwell Construction

PKF Littlejohn Advisory has been appointed administrator of Caldwell Construction, a groundworks contractor providing services to national housebuilders.

The business, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent and Warrington, employs more than 400 people and reported revenues of around £58m for the year to March 2025.

Paul Smith, partner at PKF Littlejohn Advisory UK, said the company had been affected by prolonged challenges across the construction sector.

The firm’s Manchester and Leeds teams had worked with Caldwell’s management in recent months to explore alternative options for the business.

Smith said: “The construction sector has faced challenging trading conditions over recent years, including increasing costs, delays to schemes and wider market uncertainty. These pressures were exacerbated at Caldwell in recent weeks, placing significant strain on cashflow and operations. Despite extensive efforts, it was not possible to secure a way forward that would allow the company to continue trading outside of an insolvency process.”

Oliver Collinge, joint administrator at PKF Littlejohn Advisory, added: “The directors at Caldwell have taken the difficult decision to place the company into administration. Our immediate focus is now on supporting employees and stakeholders while we assess the position of the business and its assets.”