Entrepreneur buys William Hare

Owner of Sale Sharks rugby club and business entrepreneur, Simon Orange has bought steelwork contractor William Hare for an undisclosed sum.

Founded in 1945, William Hare is the UK’s second largest steel fabricator and employs nearly 2,000 staff at its Europe, UAE and India sites.

Under the new ownership, the current management team that includes Chief Executive Susan Hodgkiss and Group Board Director Matthew Nesbit, will stay in place.

Mr Orange said: “I am thrilled to be investing in William Hare, a company with a strong culture and rich history, which is working with a broad spectrum of clients on some of the largest and most exciting buildings in the world.

“With market-leading credentials in engineering, fabrication, construction and sustainability, I know that William Hare is a business that is built for the future and has an exciting role to play in the future of construction and manufacturing.”

The business has been involved in some of the UK’s most significant building and infrastructure projects including Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station, Battersea Power Station, several HS2 Bridges, 40 Leadenhall, Broadgate redevelopment and 20 Fenchurch Street (The Walkie Talkie building).