The JR Group is shaping the future of Scotland’s housing market through innovative projects
With roots dating back to 1995, The The JR Group provides innovative solutions in construction, housing, scaffolding, specialist services, timber systems and sprinkler installations to both the public and private sectors across Scotland. The company’s expertise across six divisions differentiates it in a competitive market, and its honest approach to relationships with clients, stakeholders, and communities has led to strong partnerships and repeat business.
Clearly now a significant player in the Scottish market, The JR Group was created just under three decades ago. It began as a scaffolding company, founded by John and Annemarie Horne in 1995, with just one other employee. In 1997, the company was awarded the first of many contracts with Glasgow University, and later turned over its first £1 million following projects on some of Scotland’s most iconic buildings, including The Hunterian Museum. In 2006, the demand for skilled labour on a particularly complex project led to the company diversifying into roofing repairs and joinery work, which resulted in the formation of JR Specialist Services. Having outgrown its facility in Govan and reached 100 employees, The JR Group moved to a new site in Paisley.
The appointment of Gary McGregor as Managing Director in 2016 saw JR Construction (Scotland) Ltd added to the Group, and the launch of a five-year plan to become one of Scotland’s leading contractors. Just one year later, JR Construction was appointed onto the Link Group Framework and commenced its first new-build social housing project in Luss. Such success continued into 2018, with the achievement of ISO accreditation and appointment to the LHC-SPA Framework. Securing subsequent places on the Scotland Excel and Wheatley Group frameworks has culminated in a variety of successfully completed projects with over 600 units built throughout Scotland.
Standing at the end of 2024, The JR Group represents a true story of growth and success. With divisions now comprising JR Construction (Scotland), JR Scaffold, JR Specialist Services, DC Timber Systems, JR Homes and Sprinkler Scotland Ltd, the Group companies work together, as well as individually, on specific packages to deliver bespoke services tailored to customer demands.
Close team
To learn about The JR Group’s latest developments, the Construction & Civil Engineering team sat down with Gary McGregor. With more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, particularly in the residential sector, his strong, dynamic, and hands-on approach to leadership encourages a high-performance culture across all divisions.
“When I joined The JR Group nine years ago, the turnover was around £2 million, and today, the Group is turning over around £40 million,” he begins. “John and Annemarie, our original founders, are still heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the businesses. We’re a close team and this shows in our coordinated, successful projects. JR Construction acts as a principal contractor for all types of construction, such as new-builds, commercial, retail, and refurbishment projects, and is complemented by our divisional businesses that provide customers with a co-ordinated cost-effective solution.
“Our scaffolding business remains strong,” Gary continues, “completing work for both internal and external projects, as well as some lightweight access solutions. We provide scaffolding for all types of projects throughout Scotland, from very complex works to more straightforward structures.
ESG focus
“Around 80 percent of our projects fall into the housing category, particularly social housing for public sector clients. We also have retail and commercial construction experience, as well as refurbishment capabilities, including for listed buildings. The construction division is currently working on approximately 13 projects of varying complexity and scale.
“The UK is facing a severe housing crisis. At The JR Group, we have the resources and expertise to get involved with land-led projects that many public sector companies may not possess. We’ve recently completed the first phase of an interesting project to build over 300 units in Fort William, where there is a huge requirement for public sector housing.”
Given the demands of the social housing market, The JR Group must closely follow regulations, including ever-changing sustainability and energy efficiency legislation. “We adhere to the highest standards of Scottish regulation, which require new-build housing to include hybrid solutions like air source heat pumps and air exhaust systems,” Gary states. “We utilise energy consultants to explore the ways in which we can promote energy efficiency and make it simple for customers, homeowners, and tenants to understand and implement.
“Considering wider environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, we’ve been heavily involved with the community and charity sector for several years, from volunteering for local initiatives to providing community facilities,” he continues. “We also collaborate with local schools to fill our apprenticeship schemes across our office and trades. For each of our projects, we organise ‘meet the buyer’ events where we invite the local community to identify where we can use local labour, such as electricians, plumbers, or even cleaning services.” To allocate some figures that demonstrate its achievements, over the past five years the Group has delivered 4600 weeks of training, raised over £400k for local charities, supplied over £185k worth of community benefits, visited around 30 local school and community groups and provided 550 welcome boxes. “Our mission is to create environmentally sustainable, socially enriching, and economically growing communities that offer a brighter future for all,” adds Gary.
Future investments
As our conversation turns to the future, Gary believes that 2025 is going to be a huge year for the Group: “Next year marks the 30th anniversary of JR Scaffold, which kickstarted the group as we know it today. Strategic investment is key across the group, exemplified by the formation of DC Timber Systems, Sprinklers Scotland, and JR Homes in recent years. As we continue to grow, more investment will follow, particularly as we’re outgrowing our current facility and will look to move to a new, larger site in the coming years, which would provide increased employment opportunities for the local community.
“We’ll endeavour to ensure we have the necessary resources in place to facilitate our future growth,” concludes Gary. “We have a fantastic enthusiastic young team, which we’ll look to grow in line with our overall business strategy. We’ve certainly got the strategy and capabilities required to double our turnover in the next five years. This might be an ambitious goal, but I am quietly confident it is one that we can achieve.”
The JR Group – divisions
JR Construction (Scotland) Ltd, combines one-stop-shop capabilities with the option to draw on the skills of other Group businesses, in the delivery of projects across social and private housing, health and education, commercial, industrial, and retail. Thanks to its scale, JR Construction (Scotland) Ltd contributes over 65 per cent of Group turnover.
JR Scaffold is one of the country’s largest scaffold contractors. It provides both aluminium and cuplok structures for large scale projects and supports some of the UK’s leading affordable and private house builders.
JR Specialist Services provides an extensive range of niche services from timber frame erection to full fit out. The division offers a unique one-contractor approach to providing comprehensive, yet straightforward solutions to building requirements for new and existing buildings.
DC Timber Systems specialises in the design, manufacture, and erection of structural timber frame kits throughout the UK. It sources only the highest quality sustainable timber and combines cutting edge manufacturing processes with a professional, bespoke service.
JR Homes is the private homes development division, which is known for its premium designs and unrivalled quality. Through relationships based on passion, quality, and trust, the company’s high-spec homes are constructed with style and class in mind, aiming to deliver a taste of luxury throughout.
Sprinkler Scotland Ltd was founded in 2023. It provides much-needed services to address the increased market demand and meet the mandatory building regulations that came into force in 2024 in Scotland.