Taking its modular housebuilding expertise over the Channel to France, TopHat has entered an exclusive partnership with Nexity, France's largest housebuilder to further advance offsite construction.
TopHat will bring its expertise and experience in delivering modular construction to the partnership, while Nexity will provide its knowledge of the market and French offsite construction and development programs.
TopHat is currently building Europe's largest modular housing factory in Corby, Northamptonshire. The new factory will employ 1,000 people working alongside the most advanced housebuilding robots operating at scale in the UK. TopHat's first factory, based in Derby, has a current output of up to 800 homes a year. The business recently announced a successful fundraise of £70million.
For Nexity the partnership with TopHat is in line with its Imagine 2026 strategy of offering quality, affordable, and low-carbon housing. Building upon its experience as a leader in low-carbon construction in France, Nexity aims to have 10% of its housing production completed in factories by 2028. The company is France's largest housebuilder, having delivered over 18,000 homes last year – which is similar to the output achieved by Barratt Developments, the UK's largest housebuilder. By partnering with TopHat, Nexity aims to accelerate housing delivery times, offer the highest environmental standards to its customers, and develop affordable and energy-efficient products. Jordan Rosenhaus, CEO and founder of TopHat, said the development marks TopHat's expansion into Europe and they plan on applying and deploying the same precision manufacturing techniques that have helped them address the UK's housing crisis. He said: "In partnering with Nexity, France's leading residential development, we will benefit from Nexity's tremendous local market experience, which will combine with TopHat's best in class platform to speed up the delivery of affordable, high-quality, energy-efficient homes."
Veronique Bedague, CEO of Nexity, added: "Low carbon and industrialisation are two key drivers of our Imagine 2026 strategy, enabling us to better meet our customers' expectations, affirm our low-carbon leadership, and control construction costs. Our partnership with a leading industrial player in Europe, combined with our experience in low-carbon offsite construction, allows us to confidently envision the acceleration of this new industrial sector in France and actively contribute to the ecological transition."
Benoit Mainguy, Director of Construction at Nexity, said: "Nexity has delivered over 2,000 offsite prefabricated timber frame homes and possesses real expertise. We are delighted to collaborate with a committed expert in construction industrialisation to develop high-quality, innovative, and efficient homes that significantly improve our delivery times and costs. This is the beginning of an exciting adventure."
As TopHat accelerates growth, it recently appointed ex-JCB boss as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). David held the CFO role at blue chip brand JCB – the £4billion turnover privately held company with significant operations in the UK, India, US, Brazil and China – for almost six years from 2016. Harnessing 20 years of experience in a global organisation that provides product development, manufacturing and financial services, David will enhance TopHat's Board and Executive team as the company enters a period of rapid growth. "I am delighted to be joining a business which is harnessing technology and leading manufacturing processes and bringing this to homebuilding at scale," said David Brown. "Manufacturing houses in factories is a critical part of tackling the nation's housing crisis and TopHat is at the forefront of this dynamic sector."
On the new appointment, Jordan Rosenhaus said: "As a senior leader from a major manufacturing business, David brings with him the type of experience that will help us continue to revolutionise house building through the application of cutting-edge technology and lean manufacturing techniques. We're delighted to have him on board as we enter an exciting growth phase."
For more information visit: www.tophat.io
Images: 01. TopHat is pioneering robotics and technologically advanced factory manufacture 02. L-R Veronique Bedague, CEO, Nexity and Jordan Rosenhaus, CEO, TopHat
