Northern Irish contractor McLaughlin & Harvey has bought Ayr-based contractor Barr.

The price of the acquisition has not been disclosed. However, it is thought to have been in the region of £26m.

Barr employs around 900 employees, has a turnover of £210m and last year made a pre-tax profit of £2.6m.

It specialises in delivering football stadiums and has a long-standing contract with Tesco. Last year it delivered the supermarket chain’s first “eco-store” in Wick, northern Scotland.