Ardmore Group files for administration after 52 years
Ardmore Group’s businesses, including its construction and major projects arms, have filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.
This has left nine active projects in London in limbo, including a £500m scheme with laboratories and housing in King’s Cross, known as Tribeca.
It had also been working on high-end hotels in Mayfair and Kensington, flats at Earl’s Court and Hackney Wick, and offices at Chancery Lane, The Telegraph reports.
What is the Ardmore Group?
The Ardmore Group was founded in Catford in 1974 by Irish brothers Cormac and Patrick Byrne.
It was well-known for its building projects in London, such as the Raffles hotel and The Ned.
Alongside that, it was a partner for major housebuilders such as Barratt Redrow, Berkeley and Crest Nicholson.
Ardmore's LinkedIn page shares that the firm specialises in "large-scale complex projects through our direct delivery capability, technical and engineering expertise, and pro-active approach to managing risk."
It adds: "We’ve designed and built some of the UK’s most significant projects, establishing an unrivalled reputation as one of the country’s leading residential and hotel builders.
"Our traditional, hands-on approach to construction puts us at the heart of the action."
Why did the Ardmore Group file for administration?
Scrutiny of apartment blocks that were built before the Grenfell disaster uncovered fire safety deficiencies at multiple buildings that Ardmore had built decades earlier.
Last year, Ardmore’s construction arm was put into administration in an attempt to protect the wider business group from being hit by client claims.
Despite this, Crest Nicholson won a landmark High Court challenge against the group over remediation costs at its Admiralty Quarter development in Portsmouth.
It was awarded close to £15m, and this paved the way for other builders to pursue claims against Ardmore.
Discussing the outcome of this High Court challenge, Ardmore shared: “The administration follows the profound impact of the recent Building Liability Order (BLO) judgment relating to the Admiralty Quarter project, which completed in 2009.
“The judgment has affected client confidence, payment terms and certified values across a number of live projects, materially affecting the construction group’s ability to continue trading in the normal way.”
On Thursday (June 11), Ardmore Group applied for a company moratorium, which is designed to give it temporary protection from creditor action while rescue options are explored.
This is also intended to give the group time to continue preparing its appeal against the BLO judgment.
An Ardmore spokesperson added: “This is a deeply disappointing outcome for the construction group, its employees and its stakeholders.
“Our focus is now on preserving value in the wider Group, protecting the continuing businesses where possible, and pursuing the appeal against a judgment which we believe raises important questions for the wider industry.”
Other UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026
It has been a tough year for the UK high street, with several retailers entering administration and others announcing widespread store closures.
Major high street retailers LK Bennett and Claire's both closed all their stores in April, having previously fallen into administration.
Quiz also revealed that it will be closing its 37 remaining stores by the end of June, after falling into administration in February (for the second time in 12 months).
Other retailers have been forced to close stores this year, including:
Iguanas Holdings Limited, which runs 47 Las Iguanas restaurants across the UK, and Poundstretcher are also in danger of collapsing into administration if restructuring plans aren't agreed, having "fallen into financial difficulties".
Four UK travel companies have closed in 2026:
Luxury UK holiday company Salamander Voyages also shut down recently after entering administration.
Meanwhile, three UK airlines have fallen into administration or liquidation:
UK delivery company Yodel is set to be phased out over the coming months after being acquired by InPost.
It's also been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.
It's not been all bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.
Plus-size clothing brand Evans has also returned to the UK high street in 2026 after closing all its stores and concessions in December 2020.
Have you noticed an increased number of businesses closing or going into administration in your area this year? Let us know in the comments.
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