Dale Alcock’s ABN Group has been listed as the largest residential builder in Western Australia in the latest Housing Industry Association top 100 ranking, but more intriguing is the disappearance of long-time industry leader BGC Australia and the inaugural listing of Ventura Home Group.
The ranking, released this week, shows ABN Group had 2,184 housing starts in 2016-17, down 15 per cent from the prior year.
That was actually better than many of its competitors, as the WA market as a whole recorded a 23 per cent slump in housing starts to 19,698.
Number two on the list was Ventura Home Group with 1,197 starts, down 13 per cent.
This was the first time Ventura has been included in the HIA report.
In previous years, Business News has listed Ventura as part of BGC, and industry sources contacted today said they were under the impression it was part of BGC.
Business News understands BGC, led by Sam Buckeridge, did not participate in this year’s survey and is no longer a member of the HIA.
For many years it has been the largest residential builder in WA, and one of the largest in the country, with 4,049 housing starts in 2015-16.
It has nearly a dozen residential construction brands, including Commodore Homes, WA Housing Centre, Now Living, Impressions, Stratawise, Homestart and Perceptions.
Business News sought to contact BGC, Ventura and the Housing Industry Association but none has returned our calls.
Ventura is based at 20 Walters Drive in Osborne Park, in a building that is owned by BGC and which also houses BGC Construction.
Its web site states the business was founded by brothers Phil and Mark Di Masi in the early 1990s and makes no mention of BGC.
Asic returns obtained by Business News show the sole shareholders are the Di Masi brothers.
Meanwhile, JWH Group was number three on the HIA 100, with 1,012 housing starts, down 7.9 per cent.
It was followed by Summit Homes Group (746 starts), Content Living (739 starts) and Redink Homes (696 starts).
Pindan dropped from fourth place to seventh place, after its number of starts dropped to 600 from 1,004.
That reflects its focus on apartment construction, which tends to be more lumpy compared to detached housing.
The only builder with significant growth was apartment-focused Jaxon Construction, for which starts jumped 55 per cent to 399.
Editor’s note: The next edition of Business News will include an in-depth analysis of the residential construction market.
