HFL is balancing growth with succession planning, office refurbishment and major contract renewals 

Not only is HFL Building Solutions Group (HFL) achieving ten per cent growth year-on-year with an impressive £19 million turnover in 2025, but it is also currently completing a major operational restructure and planning its next move into a new office. The Tameside-based M&E specialist has become one of the UK’s primary independent building maintenance companies since it was founded by Dave Saxton in 2005, offering day-and-night operational and technical solutions for a variety of building types – including educational institutions, sport and leisure complexes, theatres, and commercial properties. Remaining a family-owned and managed business, Dave’s son, Jake Saxton, is the Managing Director of HFL, and he is leading the company through its significant restructure, which, so far, has promoted eight employees and created seven new positions.  

Jake joins Construction & Civil Engineering to tell us more about recent internal changes, the group’s relocation to Delta House, and its continued growth as we head into Spring 2026.  

“Reshuffling our operations department last year meant several internal promotions,” begins Jake. “Our operations manager is now director of operations, and we’ve had three contract managers promoted to senior contract managers in different regions.” 

Further new positions included contract support managers progressing from engineering roles, an electrical QS promoted to compliance manager, and a business development executive.  

Alongside achieving a turnover of £19 million last year, HFL’s exponential growth reflects contract performance, as Jake explains: “2025 was quite a prominent year for many of our larger contract renewals. One of our largest contracts is with the Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays; we’ve been maintaining that property for the last 18 years and they’ve just renewed with us for a further five years. In addition, one of our first on-site engineers just passed 20 years of service with the company last year, which is a fantastic milestone.” 

Sustainability initiatives 

HFL’s footprint has also expanded organically further into the Northeast and Midlands. The company has won more contracts in North Wales consisting of gas mechanical works for the public sector, which Jake describes as the firm’s ‘bread and butter’ after taking on similar projects over the past 20 years. The move to its new office, Delta House, represents this practical expansion.  

“The building is owned by Saxton Group Properties, which sits under the umbrella of Saxton Group Holdings, along with HFL Building Solutions,” Jake elaborates. “All those businesses are owned by my family and the building is split over two floors, with operations on the ground, commercial and finance on the top. We have 104 solar panels on the roof that will generate 55 megawatts of electricity. That equates to about 10.6 tonnes of CO2 and about 490 trees per year planted in carbon offset. We’ve got an efficient VRF system with integrated control, an AHU with a DX system, as well as EC fans instead of the old conventional belt driven fans. We install and maintain that equipment as a business and, this way, we’re proving to clients that we can do it ourselves.” 

With an abundance of sustainability initiatives present in Delta House, these environmental values extend beyond the office; HFL also changed its fleet to hybrid vehicles and has recently partnered with Play It Green. “We’re reviewing our supply chain to ensure they have the same vision and drive to be more sustainable,” Jake continues. “We’re delighted to collaborate with Play It Green too. They promote ESG initiatives that help businesses reduce their carbon footprint, and we’ve rebalanced 12 tonnes of CO2 emissions following our partnership. We’re also heavily invested in IBM’s Maximo, moving away from paper-based logbooks and investing in phones and tablets for our entire operations team – essentially cutting down on how much paper we use.”  

The group’s innovation expands to its recent LED projects, which demonstrate inventive financing projects. “We’ve successfully replaced lighting in a shopping centre in Bury, and corridor and staircase lighting in a Grade 2 listed building in Manchester,” Jake highlights. “These schemes are funded upfront but paid for with the money saved on electricity. It’s cost effective for building owners trying to reduce their carbon footprint and improves the aesthetic for tenants. It’s a beneficial scheme for everybody.” 

For 2026, HFL’s growth targets remain hard-hitting. “We’ve forecast an additional £2 million worth of turnover this year,” reveals Jake. “With 2025 being a year for internal investment and office refurbishment, 2026 is a definite push for growth. Clients will already be seeing the value of the work we put in last year.”  

Succession strategy 

Considering the company’s internal process changes and new team members, its five-year outlook balances expansion with succession planning – a period Jake labels as bittersweet: “We’re doing incredibly well, but we have a few team members coming up to retirement age. James, our Director of Business Development, will be looking to retire in the next three to five years and my father might want to step back a little bit further too.”  

Although recruitment is challenging in the industry at present, new talent is emerging within the business through apprenticeships, and Jake’s family members are also taking on more prominent positions. “Both my brother Lewis and sister Ellie are entering important roles,” Jake shares. “Lewis is now a Contract Support Manager with a goal to become Contract Manager, and Ellie is Director of Business Services. We also hired two brilliant compliance team members – they are extremely knowledgeable and committed to improving compliance. At HFL, we aim to set the standard, rather than just being compliant. Water compliance is something that we’ve had for the last ten years and I’m keen to grow that section as we work with social housing contracts and a few hotels. Having Richard as our gas mechanical supervisor ensures 100 per cent compliance across our contracts, and part of his role is to nurture our apprentices – we currently have five and we hope to take one more on board in September.” 

From a family start-up 20 years ago to a £19 million M&E and facilities specialist with operations across the North West, North East, Midlands, South West and now North Wales, HFL validates organic growth through long-term client relationships. In addition, the company also boasts a huge contract renewal with the iconic Lowry Theatre, the promotion of eight employees, and the move into a solar-panelled family-owned office, demonstrating alignment between values and operations. “I’m incredibly proud of what my parents have achieved,” concludes Jake. “I’d also like to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everybody involved with HFL. I’ve been in the business for about 14 years give or take, and it’s just a wonderful place to work, with nice people and great clients.”  

www.hflbuildingsolutions.co.uk