º£½ÇÊÓÆµ

Oops.

Our website is temporarily unavailable in your location.

We are working hard to get it back online.

PRIVACY
Commercial Property

Midlands housebuilder Avant Homes sold to Wetherby-based Berkeley DeVeer

Avant Homes Group builds around 2,000 homes a year, has 780 staff and a £450 million turnover

Avant Homes Group CEO Colin Lewis (right) with his successor Mark Mitchell.

A £450 million turnover Midlands housebuilder has been sold to a smaller developer based in northern England, backed by a global fund manager.

Avant Homes Group, which builds around 2,000 homes a year and has 780 staff, has been bought by Wetherby-based Berkeley DeVeer.

Berkeley DeVeer currently operates across Yorkshire and the north east of England, while Avant - which is based in Chesterfield - has 60 live developments across the Midlands, Yorkshire, the north east and Scotland.

Berkeley DeVeer Limited had a turnover of around £28 million in the year to March 2020, and the acquisition has been funded by Elliott Advisors (º£½ÇÊÓÆµ), part of the Elliott Investment Management group.

The new backing will help with Avant’s medium and long-term growth strategy.

Under its new ownership, Avant will continue to be led by the existing management with chief operating officer Mark Mitchell becoming its CEO on May 1, a move that was announced last December.

Current CEO Colin Lewis will become Avant’s non-executive deputy chairman, while Berkeley DeVeer chief executive Jeff Fairburn will become chairman of the Avant Homes Group.

Mark Mitchell, chief executive designate of Avant Homes, said: “The investment by Berkeley DeVeer and Elliott Advisors marks another exciting chapter for Avant Homes and is a clear endorsement of our growth potential.