One of the UK’s fastest growing developers of much-needed affordable housing and Extra Care schemes has secured a prestigious business prize.
Keon Homes, which has gone from a standing start in 2019 to £40m turnover this year, beat off tough competition from Bond Wolfe, Cubo, Estilo Interiors, Potter Space and The Harrogate Group to win the ‘Property Business of the Year’ title at the Business Desk West Midlands Awards. The Burntwood-based company impressed the high-profile judging panel with its ability to unlock complex sites and solve critical housing stock issues by forging strategic partnerships with several housing associations, including Midland Heart, Citizen, Bromford and GreenSquareAccord.
It has also secured two notable firsts, breaking into the difficult to enter marketplace of Extra Care schemes with work starting on sites in Lichfield and Newport, with one in Shrewsbury coming also soon. This represents over £60m of income for the business.
“This is the perfect way to mark our 5th anniversary and highlights how far we have come in such a short space of time,” commented Richard Williams, Managing Director of Keon Homes. “The Award is for our 50+ staff, who are so important to our business.
“Our mantra is to ‘do the right thing’ and this means how we treat our people, giving them ongoing training and the freedom to bring new ideas and solutions to the table.” Keon Homes is on course to finish its fifth year in business with a £50m turnover, representing a £12m increase on the previous 12 months.
Staff levels have risen to over 50 people and the recent growth has seen more than 100 jobs created in the local supply chain. Existing partnerships with housing associations have been boosted in the first few weeks of 2024, with agreements signed to start work on four new sites and 150 homes for Black Country Housing Group, Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust, Stonewater and Citizen.
The company’s full pipeline of work is currently worth over £150m and covers 850 units. Warren Bolton, Founding Director, concluded: “This is just the start. We’ve had an amazing first five years in business, but now we need to focus on what is next, including making the most of new opportunities and, importantly, helping the region increase its availability of high quality, affordable housing.”