T&T opens in Warsaw as Polish market recovers

Consultant Turner & Townsend has opened an office in Warsaw as it looks towards eastern Europe’s buoyant construction markets.

Jon White, managing director for Europe, said that the office would initially have 10 staff, most of whom would be Polish.

“It’s part of our global expansion and about being in a better position to support our global clients. It’s a large, stable economy, and we see lots of clients talking about it,” he said.

White said that after being hit by the recession, the Polish construction market was beginning to recover swiftly.

“Our view is that commercial developments are starting to move forward more now. We would hope there’s going to be a general increase in work. We are also looking at infrastructure as well, partly from EU funds,” he said.

White did not rule out a further expansion of the business into other parts of eastern Europe, depending on how much work the Warsaw office can attract.

Construction output in Poland is expected to jump by almost 14.5% in 2011, and civil engineering work has grown by at least 20% annually for the past three years.

EU funds and the construction of stadiums for the Uefa Euro 2012 football championships, held jointly with Ukraine, have also boosted demand for infrastructure in the country.