Bell Group turns construction into a force for community transformation and empowerment
As one of the largest service and maintenance contractors in the UK, Bell Group (Bell) provides services to over 350,000 properties annually across the country. From its 37 branches, the company covers the length and breadth of the UK, guided by a strong social conscience. In fact, Bell actively pursues business opportunities that nurture employee and community skill, empowering it to stand out as one of the largest employers of apprentices in the construction industry. Upholding high standards in collaboration, ethics, and workmanship, Bell strives to deliver the best results to its esteemed customers. Craig Bell, Chief Executive Officer, introduces us to the company, covering its origins and continued social impact.
“My parents founded Bell in 1988 as a painting and decorating business based in the central belt of Scotland. Over the following years, the company quickly
expanded to deliver large-scale refurbishment and redecoration contracts across nine branches throughout the UK. Achieving this complete national coverage became Bell’s unique selling proposition (USP). As the business reached to a certain size, its capability to handle more complex projects grew, and its offices across the nation started offering services complementary to decorating, such as flooring and roofing. Although Bell classified itself as a decorating contractor during its first decade, a significant portion of its revenue increasingly came from these other spaces. As our projects spanned various levels of complexity and began to involve different trades, we expanded our capabilities to self-deliver these additional services alongside our flagship decorating work,” he begins.
Through this strategic diversification of its services, Bell propelled its growth to new heights. “Our growth from 1988 to today is reflected in next year’s forecasts, which project a turnover of £270 million. Approximately 60-to-65 percent of that work will be delivered by our own trades teams, with the remainder subcontracted to specialists. Presently, our self-delivery teams cover a wide range of trades. While painting and decorating remain a core part of our business, accounting for around one third of our turnover, we also handle significant work in carpentry. Each year, we also complete around 2500 kitchens, with kitchen and bathroom contracts forming a substantial portion of our workstreams. Additionally, we undertake numerous other services like window and door replacements, facades, as well as gutter and roofing work, the latter being our second largest workstream after painting and decorating. A sizable chunk of our turnover also comes from passive fire protection, much of which involves remedial work following the tragic Grenfell Tower disaster and the subsequent introduction of the Building Safety Act. We predominantly deliver these trades in public sector services, conducting a lot of work in social housing, with the local government, MOD, healthcare, and education,” Craig informs.
Keen to make a positive impact on people and planet, Bell has recently placed a stronger emphasis on delivering climate-friendly solutions to its clients. “Over the past four or five years, we have become heavily involved in decarbonisation efforts. For example, a lot of the work that we currently deliver encompasses fitting solar panels, heat pumps, and external, internal, as well as cavity wall insulation. In other words, we focus on implementing various energy efficiency measures that enable homes to operate at a higher standard of efficiency. Through these initiatives, we aim to lift people out of fuel poverty, a testament to our commitment to working in communities and fostering the development of individuals in our own community,” Craig reveals.
Indeed, from its early days, Bell has been dedicated on giving back to its communities, developing people professionally, and building teams. This focus eventually reflected into its operations and services, as Craig points out. “In our industry, we are well-known for our apprenticeship scheme, with approximately 300 apprentices currently working for the business. In fact, our first apprentice joined during the very first year of the company’s founding. That same year, we also established a partnership with Saint Andrew’s Hospice, our local hospice. This demonstrates that our social conscience as a business has been present from day one, and we remain committed to developing people and supporting communities.”
Social value
Clearly passionate about empowering communities, Bell leads by example in driving positive social impact. Craig sheds light on how the company manages to operate in a way that is both ethical and economically successful. “I like to refer to this ability as our ‘secret sauce,’” he jokes. “Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss this topic on The Full Circl Podcast. During the conversation, I explained that when people and businesses talk about commercial viability, social value, human resources, training, and development, they usually treat these as separate elements without connecting them. To me, they are one and the same and must work together. In order to deliver a job in a way that is mutually profitable, I need a well-trained team that has bought into the business, including our culture, our values, and our method of delivering work. This can only be achieved by having a highly functioning apprenticeship, training, upskilling, and people development model. Furthermore, it is only by employing people who live in the communities where we work that we are able to maintain our impressive 92 percent repeat business rate. Everyone within Bell understands the challenges faced by these communities and, because our employees know the people, they can break down barriers that would otherwise hinder us. In turn, this enables us to deliver contracts more profitably. Thus, in my view, the social value aspect of developing people, creating jobs, upskilling, and working within local communities, forms a fundamental part of delivering a commercially successful project,” he continues.
Inspiring benchmark
To spread the word about its ethical way of running a business across the world, the company has established the Bell Global strategy. Through this, Bell aims to demonstrate how businesses can be economically successful whilst having a positive social impact. “We very proactively promote sharing the secret sauce that sets us apart. As I mentioned on the podcast, I do not want to be the only person in the industry to embrace these socially ethical practices. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to enjoy a high standard of living, thanks to our fabulous business and all the amazing people who contribute to its success every single day of the week. However, when I reach the end of my career – or the end of my life – I want to be able to look back and know that I have made an impact beyond mere profit and company growth. To me, that alone does not feel like an achievement. Instead, an achievement would be getting to the end of my career knowing that I used my privileged position to make a tangible difference by helping others to accomplish great things, potentially changing the industry for the better, and improving the lives of people in our communities.
“At Bell, we frequently discuss social mobility, as I believe it is an area where both our company and I can make a huge impact. We have the ability to take individuals from different levels of the social scale and help propel them up the social ladder. This includes people from generationally unemployed families, whom we provide with fulfilling careers, as well as individuals like me who did not excel at school. In my case, when I left school, I was fortunate to have a mentor named Ian Henderson. He believed in me, trained me, developed me, and allowed me to listen and observe his expertise in action. From there, I would repeatedly try to replicate what he was doing. Over time, we refined these practices and improved upon them. Inspired by this experience, I strive to foster a platform within Bell where, first and foremost, we encourage people to embrace this approach. Secondly, we aim to demonstrate to other businesses what can be achieved, not only in terms of commercial viability but also from a financial perspective, while simultaneously making a meaningful contribution to supporting the community. If we can achieve this, why wouldn’t we want to share that knowledge?” he reflects.
Bell exemplifies how a business can thrive commercially while making a profound social impact. By blending ethical practices, community engagement, and innovative services, the company not only delivers exceptional results but also empowers individuals and communities. Its commitment to sustainability, social conscience, and shared success sets an inspiring benchmark for the industry and beyond.