North West utilities contractor leaves family hands for private equity owner

Stockport-based utilities contractor O’Connor has been taken over by an investment giant after nearly three decades in family hands.

Private equity firm Triton Partners has acquired OCU Group Limited, the holding company of O’Connor Utilities and Instalcom, for an undisclosed sum.

The deal marks the end of ownership by the O’Connor family. Tim, 62, and younger brother Tom O’Connor, who turns 61 in October, founded the firm in 1994.

The pair said their exit was “a bittersweet moment” but added the management team left behind would “ensure the best days of the business lay ahead”.

The 3,000-strong OCU Group posted income of £300m in the year to April 2022.

It carries out civils, M&E and project management work.