The Foreman: 18 July 2007

The rise and rise of Kier

I've got friends with shares in construction companies, including the big ones listed on the Stock Exchange. It can be a risky business, but after recently studying the form of a few share prices, I'm now telling them that if they want to double their returns, they should go to their next annual general meeting, stand up and demand one simple thing that the chief executive gets into bed with the finance director - literally.

I know it's not conventional advice - the sort you get from smooth-chinned analysts who like to bamboozle you with charts and graphs. In fact, stockbrokers seem to have completely overlooked the merits of nocturnal bonding. And that's where they've missed a trick.

Since November 2005, when Kier's board members were told that chief executive John Dodds and finance director Deena Mattar had become "an item", they've enjoyed the benefits of this one-to-one relationship.

And so have all Kier's shareholders, to be quite blunt about it. Kier's share price has jumped by 87% since late 2005, while the average of the construction sector, in the same period of time, has only put on 39%.

So rather than indulge in double standards and righteous indignation, maybe they should sit back and enjoy things. There's just clearly not enough partnering going on elsewhere in the industry is what I say.

A load of old bullring?

Architects would doubtless argue that it's a good thing when one of their designs sparks debate.

I hope Future Systems, the brains behind the famous Selfridge's store in Birmingham's £500m Bullring development, is of the same opinion.

The curvy building (pictured, right) has a skin made of 15,000 aluminium disks and was called a "sexy big giant" by the store group's chief executive when it opened.

But CJ recently received a slightly frightening letter from the Czech Republic that begged to differ. Written on what looks like wrapping paper, someone had scrawled in block capitals: "Please let have to demolish this terrible ugly monster. Be that architect/designer (ram's head) return all the money he got as the prize!"

And then a very odd plea from a Czech - "help to beautify Birmingham!" It's strangely nice to know our European cousins care so much about Birmingham.

Plastic fantastic

Have any of you been watching BBC drama True Kiss Dare? Can't say I have seen it myself, but it's apparently a "raw and disturbing new six-part drama" that is "an unfolding saga of intrigue, passion, revenge and redemption".

Sounds quite exciting I must say. Well, those of you who've been watching it closely will hopefully have noticed something far more exciting with a construction twist.

A passionate kiss on a building site at dusk? A perilous encounter with a demolition wrecking ball? Er, not quite. For those of you that missed it, let me quote an excerpt from a recent Wavin Plastics announcement: "Wavin's award-winning sustainable urban drainage systems Aquacell and Aquacell Lite were both supplied as props for the programme, along with the company's pervious paving system Aquagrid and OSMA drain pipe and inspection chambers."

You can watch the next instalment on Thursday night on BBC1 at 9pm.