Thurston rescue by GCH: capacity and risk takeaways for modular project teams
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Modular building manufacturer Thurston Group has been bought out of administration in a same-day pre-pack sale to GCH Corporation, the private industrial group led by former Tomkins chief Greg Hutchings and CEO Cassie Hutchings. The Wakefield-headquartered firm, founded in 1970, runs three UK manufacturing sites producing modular and offsite units for healthcare, education, commercial and industrial projects, and reported £47m turnover and £4.1m profit to 1 November 2024. The deal secures 275 jobs and signals continued capacity for UK volumetric and temporary accommodation supply.
Technical Brief
- Joint administrators from Leonard Curtis were appointed to three Thurston entities on 22 December 2025.
- Administrators had run an accelerated M&A process from November 2025 to identify a buyer.
- Transaction transferred Thurston Holdings, Thurston Group Estates and Thurston Group Limited into GCH Corporation ownership.
- GCH Corporation, led by Greg and Cassie Hutchings, is structured as a long-term private industrial group.
- Cassie Hutchings explicitly committed to stabilising operations and investing further capital into the modular manufacturing business.
- Continuity of three existing manufacturing sites reduces requalification risk for modular products on live frameworks.
- For public-sector modular programmes, the pre-pack limits disruption risk to offsite supply chains and framework delivery.
Our Take
Within our 335 Infrastructure stories, UK modular and offsite fabricators like Thurston Group feature mainly in the context of public-sector frameworks, so a rescue via M&A rather than an orderly wind-down suggests there is still perceived contract pipeline value tied to its Wakefield base.
Turnover of about £47m with a relatively modest profit margin places Thurston Group in the mid-tier of UK construction suppliers in our database, where balance-sheet strength is often a deciding factor in winning multi-year framework and defence accommodation contracts.
The appointment of administrators in late December 2025, despite recent profitability, mirrors other UK construction insolvencies in our coverage where cashflow strain from fixed-price contracts and delayed public payments has triggered distress even for otherwise viable operators.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
