1 March 2023
Investment Announcement: Becoming part of Drees & Sommer
Operations
To our clients and colleagues,
In March 2022, we announced that AA Projects had secured an initial minority investment with leading European construction consultancy business Drees & Sommer. This staged approach was due to be completed in December 2023, with Drees & Sommer purchasing the remaining share capital of AA Projects.
I am very pleased to share with you that due to the success of our working relationship over the past 12 months we have made the decision, together with our Drees & Sommer colleagues, to bring forward the full acquisition so that AA Projects will become a fully owned entity of Drees & Sommer SE as of 1st April 2023.
Together, we have set up specialist teams that are working across operations as well as culture to ensure the ongoing transition runs smoothly and that all stakeholders are bought into the overarching goal of making Drees & Sommer a key player in the UK. With over 4,500 employees across 51 locations in Europe, the Middle East, China and the Asia Pacific, the combination of AA Projects and Drees & Sommer UK allows us to further extend our excellent reputation into new markets and geographies.
We have already seen the benefits in being able to deliver a broader base of specialisms, allowing us to secure new projects as well as better support our existing client base.
Our logo will change to reflect this next step, changing to “AA Projects – Part of Drees & Sommer”. You can expect this logo to remain in place until early 2024 as we continue on the next phase of integration. From early 2024 Drees & Sommer UK and AA Projects will come together into one company, Drees & Sommer Ltd.
The year ahead promises to be an exciting one as we continue this journey of growing together.
On behalf of the AA Projects and Drees & Sommer teams, thank you for your continued support.
Kind Regards,
Kenneth Wood
Managing Director
“This partnership has already delivered significant benefits to the business and to our clients. The acquisition will allow us to further integrate our operations and teams so that we can further grow our footprint in existing sectors, but will also allow us to extend our excellent reputation into new markets and geographies. Since partnering with Drees & Sommer, we have been able to work together and build a joint vision that will deliver long term stability, growth for our business and career progression for our people. We are excited about this next step.”
“This exciting integration brings together two design and consultancy businesses with shared goals and a natural fit - both well-established with a strong reputation and respected client bases in both private and public sectors. The successful merger of AA Projects and Drees & Sommer allows us to expand our service offering in the UK and Ireland, with over 230 employees in 7 UK locations, combining automotive, logistics, data centre, healthcare, education, residential and hospitality expertise and more. Already we’re seeing our clients profit from the collaboration of both companies on joint projects and strategic advisory.”
“Since the start of the integration process, our highly qualified experts from both companies have joined forces on functional, operational and cultural matters. This has paid off already with clients benefiting from the combined know-how of an excellent team of innovative consultants. This positive synergy of quality and precision for sustainable and cutting-edge solutions cements our position as a market leader and provides long-term growth and stability for our business and our people.”