AA Projects completes merger with European consultancy

The Sale-headquartered consultancy is leaving its old name behind as it rebrands to Drees & Sommer UK, highlighting its role in growing the German firm’s presence in this country.

Drees & Sommer had acquired a minority investment in AA Projects two years ago and has now fully taken over the group. The combined AA Projects and Drees & Sommer will offer services in project management, cost consultancy, engineering, sustainability, and building surveying.

Kenneth Wood, the former managing director of AA Projects, will continue as managing director of Drees & Sommer UK.

“Ours is not a typical international merger story, nor is it a case of one large consultant swallowing another,” Wood said.

“The relationship between AA Projects and Drees & Sommer came about organically, through collaboration on client projects and shared growth ambitions, and that has extended into what has been a fruitful integration process over the last two years,” he continued.

Wood concluded later: “Our combined proposition could not be more relevant for today’s construction and real estate challenges, where economic turbulence and the likelihood of incoming regulation are driving demand for expert project management and innovative approaches to decarbonisation.”

The UK branch of Drees & Sommer boasts 230 employees across eight offices, including outlets in Liverpool and Leeds. AA Projects’ Sale office will continue as the headquarters for Drees & Sommer in this country.

Looking at the broader Drees & Sommer group, the company has more than 5,000 employees with offices in 20 countries.