OCU Group, run from Greek Street, is being sold to TDR Capital. Revenue grew from £295m to £1.2bn in four years; the deal still needs regulatory approval.

OCU Group, the utilities and infrastructure contractor with its head office on Greek Street in Stockport, is being sold. Its owner, the private equity firm Triton Partners, has signed an agreement to sell it to funds managed by TDR Capital.

Triton announced the deal on 5 October (Triton Partners). The price has not been disclosed. The sale is not yet complete: it is subject to “customary regulatory approvals and other closing conditions”.

How big OCU has become

OCU’s head office is Artemis House, 6 to 8 Greek Street, Stockport (OCU Group). It also has offices at the STOK building in the town centre (Marketing Stockport).

The business lays and maintains the cables, pipes and networks under the streets for power, water, gas and telecoms companies. Triton bought it in 2022. According to Triton’s announcement, since then OCU has:

  • grown its revenue from £295 million in the year to April 2022 to £1.2 billion in the year to April 2026
  • made 18 acquisitions
  • expanded into Australia and New Zealand
  • built an order book of more than £4 billion
Bar chart of OCU Group's yearly revenue: 295 million pounds in the year to April 2022 and 1,200 million pounds, or 1.2 billion, in the year to April 2026. Source: Triton Partners announcement, 5 October 2026.
OCU's revenue roughly quadrupled under Triton's ownership, by the seller's own figures. Chart by Stockport Today.
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OCU employs more than 2,500 people, Triton says, and deploys a total workforce of around 5,500 across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and India. The announcement does not say how many of them work in Stockport.

What the companies said

TDR says it will work with Michael Hughes, OCU’s chief executive, and the wider team. Mr Hughes said OCU’s focus is “continuing to deliver for our clients, invest in our people and capabilities”. He said he looked forward to working with TDR “on the next phase of OCU’s growth”.

Gary Lindsay, a managing partner at TDR Capital, said the firm sees a chance to take OCU to “a globally relevant position in critical infrastructure”. He pointed to a “true buy-and-build approach”, which in private equity means growing a business by buying others.

Thomas Cheung, a managing director at Triton, said OCU was “a significantly stronger business” than when Triton invested.

What it means for you

  • If you work at OCU: the announcement says nothing about jobs, offices or Stockport. The deal has not completed yet.
  • If OCU is digging up your street: the company carries out work for utility firms, so its crews often appear in roadworks. Its public line for planned or current works is 0333 200 0011 (OCU Group). Live closures across the borough are on our Stockport roadworks page.
  • For the town centre: OCU is run from Greek Street. TDR has not said anything about where the company will be run from after the sale.

Sources