Graham Sturge CEO and founder, RED Construction Group 

Sum up 2025 in one word: Sustainable growth 

Do you feel more or less optimistic than you felt 12 months ago? It is very important to be a realist when working in the construction industry and I am well aware of the challenges that we face within the sector. UK construction market volumes were down 6% over 2025, there’s increased tax pressure and the longest period of decline since the financial crash 15 years ago. However, as a stable and mature business now a decade old, we have just celebrated record turnover and our most successful year to date in spite of these obstacles. As a result, this has laid a strong foundation as we head into 2026, with a strong pipeline set to further instigate controlled growth for the business.

What do you think will be the key watchwords/industry trends in 2026? There will be challenges ahead and we anticipate that projects will progress at a slower rate. However, in terms of what we will see in response, we anticipate that there will be more diversification across the industry. Contractors will need to start expanding into new territory in order to plug the gaps left behind. We have already seen this start to come into practice throughout 2025 and has meant that we have had to evolve our methodologies and strategies in response. This shift shows no sign of stopping for others in the industry, who will also need to remain agile and adaptable in order to be successful.

Sum up your hopes, fears and expectations for 2026: At the outset of 2025, we had predicted that a ‘new norm’ would emerge by Q4, however, this did not materialise. Yet we, as a business, continue to find a way through, seeking and finding a path to sustainable growth, and remained optimistic that better markets were on the horizon. As the year comes to a close, we have learnt that the key has once again been to confidently manage the risks when they come.

Going into 2026, we once again see the shoots of recovery within the sector, but it will be a steady process that is due to build over the year. As a result, we can be innovative in our approach and strategically harness the opportunity to grow our infrastructure during this period, so we can be in the best position going into a stronger economic climate. Ultimately, our aim is to remain stable whilst supporting our essential supply chain partners by both managing risk and adding value to projects for our clients.