Yahoo Finance McAlpine ‘couldn’t deliver a pizza’, blasts property firm Almacantar
London developer Almacantar’s chief executive Mike Hussey on Friday said he “wouldn’t trust Sir Robert McAlpine to deliver a pizza” after winning a legal fight with the builder over its Centre Point scheme.
Almacantar brought in McAlpine on a pre-construction contract in September 2012 to help prepare for the conversion of the Tottenham Court Road landmark.
Under the deal, half the money was paid up front with the remainder to be paid as a performance fee when the main work had started.
McAlpine withdrew in 2014, forcing Almacantar to turn to another builder. But the developer was stunned to receive a claim from McAlpine for the performance fee a year later.
Dinosaurs take note: You don’t get paid if you don’t turn up; You don’t get paid if you don’t perform. I wouldn’t trust Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd to deliver a pizza after this experience. https://t.co/nBYfVwxIFZ
— Mike Hussey (@Mr_Property_W1) February 23, 2018
The builder initially won an adjudication, which Hussey has just overturned in the High Court, forcing it to return a total of £1.16 million. “I thought, ‘sod it, there’s a point of principle here’,” he said.
Hussey tweeted: “Dinosaurs take note: You don’t get paid if you don’t turn up; You don’t get paid if you don’t perform. I wouldn’t trust Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd to deliver a pizza after this experience.”
McAlpine declined to comment.
