Farrans slumps to loss in last year of trading before Sisk takeover

Farrans fell to a pre-tax loss in its final set of results before being acquired by Sisk last year.

Farrans, while filed its accounts under the name Northstone (NI) Ltd, had a turnover of £298m, down 22% on last time, with the firm falling to a £36m pre-tax loss in 2025 from a £3m profit in 2024.

The Belfast-based building and civil engineering contractor was put up for sale in 2022 by its owner, building materials giant CRH, before being sold to Sisk for an undisclosed sum last autumn.

In a note accompanying the accounts, the firm said the loss was in part down to “additional provisions taken against a number of legacy contracts”.

It said the year had also been marked “by ongoing economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures and cautious customer spending and funding across both public and private sectors”.

Farrans was set up more than 80 years ago and employs around 630 people across three main offices in Belfast, London and Edinburgh.