Kilrock Construction Ltd in Kilrea, Co. Derry / Londonderry is a fast-growing main contractor specialising in the management and delivery of commercial, retail, office and redevelopment projects.
The company was established in 2019 by managing director Niall McAllister and commercial director Dan Cook, and has grown to employ 10 people directly and many more on a subcontract basis. With over 50 years’ experience between them, ranging from projects worth between £10,000 and £50 million, from live trading environments to airside operations and spanning 10 different countries, there aren’t many challenges in the industry that Niall and Dan haven’t overcome.
By the very nature of construction, every project is different and has its own challenges. The two directors thrive on the challenge that each project presents and find great job satisfaction in overcoming all obstacles to make every project a success. A joiner by trade, Kilrea native Niall spent time in San Francisco before returning home and completing a degree in Building Engineering & Management. Dan is a fully chartered QS hailing from Leeds.
“Kilrock Construction was set up on the back of relationships we had struck up with a number of different clients,” Dan explains.
“We have some wonderful clients like Dunnes Stores, Frasers Group, Sports Direct / Heatons and Selfridges & Co. As a small company, it speaks volumes for the quality of our work and customer service that such well-known high street brands are happy to put their trust in us time and time again. We pride ourselves on our exceptional service and the fact that Niall and I are involved in every job.
“A project is only successful if it is deemed so by our clients.”
It’s a busy time for Kilrock Construction with retail fitout and repurposing projects in particular. The main contractor recently completed its latest project for Dunnes Stores which was the fitout of their new store in Dundrum Town Centre. The 40,000 sq. ft. store is situated on the second floor and occupies the site formerly operated by Penneys who relocated to a larger unit within the complex last year.
Kilrock Construction collaborated with architects Kruger Lyons on the project which was shortlisted in the ‘Retail Multi-Use Project of the Year’ category at the 2024 Irish Building & Design Awards which took place in the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin.
“Dundrum Town Centre was a 16-week project that became a 24/7 job from Week 8 and was completed in October 2023,” Dan says.
“It involved stripping out the existing Penneys unit and delivering Dunnes’ new ‘Store Concept’, complete with high-end finishes which are in keeping with other stores in the Centre. We enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Kruger Lyons and it was nice to see them recognised with the award nomination for the project.”
Kilrock Construction also carried out a full refurbishment of a live trading store in the Ilac Shopping Centre, Henry Street for Dunnes Stores last year across four floors. This logistically challenging project consisted of night work, phased delivery, demolition works, mechanical and electrical installation and space reconfigurations throughout. The project was also the first rollout of the new ‘Store Concept’ for Ireland’s most popular retailer.
“We have since completed a full turnkey fitout with refurbished café and restaurant for Dunnes in Henry Street and are currently working on another project for them at their Beacon Quarter, Sandyford store. They have become our biggest client and are always a pleasure to deal with. This has led to us conducting about 80% of our business in Ireland. It used to be only 20% with the rest in GB (Great Britain),” the affable commercial director adds.
As a principal contractor, Kilrock Construction acknowledges that this industry is primarily a relationship business, whether that be a relationship with the end-user or the labour team on site, without effective and efficient communication and the ethos of working together, the challenges become greater.
The company’s goal is to ensure that each client and supply chain partner wants to work with it on their next project, and that this repeat business model will help refine the process from concept to completion on every scheme built together. In order to achieve this, Kilrock Construction takes a very hands-on approach to project delivery from tender process right through to the defect rectification period. This approach means that every project completed is managed by the whole senior management with the assistance of their wider project delivery team.
Kilrock believes that by offering this guarantee, it gives each venture completed with its client the best possible chance of success. When working on any project, the company listens and understands what’s important to you; delivers on time; ensures quality is at the heart of everything it does; ensures specialist teams are managed by expert project managers; and operates a methodical approach which is planned from start to finish to ensure the desired result.
As Kilrock Construction continues to go from strength to strength, Niall and Dan would like to take this opportunity to thank their clients and suppliers for their unwavering support as well as their top-class team of direct employees and subcontractors for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
Kilrock Construction Ltd
11 Gortmacrane Road,
Kilrea,
Coleraine,
BT51 5XX.
Telephone: 028 703 48920
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.kilrockltd.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, September 2024, Vol 10 No 9
