From as long ago as 1948, the name Squibb has been synonymous with demolition.
Founder Harry Squibb was hauling waste materials from East London and the docks using a horse and cart before the Second World War. When the war ended and Harry Squibb completed his national service, he found himself ideally placed to demolish the countless buildings damaged and rendered unstable by the Blitz on London. He ultimately founded H. Squibb and Son as a demolition entity in Stepney in 1948.
The company survived, evolved into Squibb and Davies when Harry took on a partner, and moved to the Bow Baptist churchyard. In 1969 Harry’s son, Leslie, joined his father, worked through the ranks, and was the Chairman until he passed in 2020.
The company became a member of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors in 1974, becoming the first demolition company to be awarded an asbestos license in 1984.
Leslie Squibb jnr – son of Leslie snr and grandson of founder Harry – joined the company in 1987.
In 2008, the company changed its name to Squibb Group. In the same year, Squibb Plant Hire and Squibb Environmental were formed. In 2012, the company opened an international office in Qatar.
Having moved to Barking in 1999, the company began the construction of a new headquarters in 2016. At the same time, Squibb Group opened a new regional office at Sellafield as home to its newly-formed Nuclear Division.
The company moved to Stanford le Hope in the newly opened Squibb House in 2018.
As one of the biggest and best-known demolition contractors in the UK, Squibb Group has been involved in a huge number of high-profile projects over the years. These include the demolition of Barking Power Station, the MG Rover factory at Longbridge, and Imperial Tobacco at Nottingham.
In March this year, it was revealed that Squibb was one of 10 members of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) that had been handed fines totalling almost £60 million for their part in a bid-rigging scandal that had been investigated by the Companies and Markets Authority (CMA).
The company received one of the smallest fines – £2.0 million – for its part in the scandal; but the company was one of only two to companies to contest the provisional findings.
On 31 March, Squibb Group announced that it was initiating an appeal against the CMA decision and what the company described as a “disproportionate” fine.
In the latest turn of events, the company filed for a Company Voluntary Arrangement in October 2023.
