Dubai, UAE — British contractor Laing O’Rourke has put its Middle East business, the builder of Atlantis The Palm, up for sale after more than 50 years, the company said this week.
The privately owned group has hired Dubai-based Lumina Capital Advisors to find a buyer. The Laing O’Rourke Middle East unit had turnover of about £266 million ($350 million) and an underlying profit of about £12 million last year, trade publication Building reported. It employs just over 200 people, plus about 620 trade specialists.
The sale takes one of the longest-serving foreign contractors out of the UAE. It comes as construction costs in the region rise. Emaar founder Mohamed Alabbar said on Thursday that material costs were up about 5% as the Iran war disrupted shipping.
Group chief executive Cathal O’Rourke said it was “the right time to secure a new owner for the Middle East business.” The company cited a period of strong growth in the region, Arabian Business reported.
From Atlantis To Data Centres
Laing O’Rourke entered the region about 25 years ago when it bought the construction arm of John Laing, which already worked in the UAE and Oman. Its projects included Atlantis The Palm, Ski Dubai at Mall of the Emirates, work at Dubai International Airport and projects linked to Expo 2020.
About 20 years ago, it agreed to carry out construction for Abu Dhabi developer Aldar. That brought it the Al Raha Beach development and Aldar’s circular headquarters, completed in a joint venture in 2010.
The 2008 financial crisis changed its approach. The company closed the dedicated Laing O’Rourke Middle East division in 2010 and folded the work into its UK and Europe business. It sold its UAE joinery business to Dubai-based Arco Turnkey Solutions in 2025.
In recent years, the Laing O’Rourke Middle East business has mostly built data centres. Its repeat clients include Khazna and Equinix, and it was appointed to Project Pilot, which the company describes as the UAE’s largest data centre. Khazna secured a $2.62 billion financing facility for new UAE sites in September 2025, according to MEED.
Also read: Alabbar Puts Dubai Tower Tender On Hold Until Iran War Eases
UK And Australia Take Priority
The group will focus on infrastructure in Britain and Australia, O’Rourke said, citing an order book of about £17 billion. Its UK work includes the Sizewell C nuclear plant, the Great Grid Upgrade and the National Health Service’s hospital building programme. In Australia, it is working on projects linked to the AUKUS defence pact and the Olympic Games.
The group has not disclosed an asking price for Laing O’Rourke Middle East, named any bidders or given a timetable. The Middle East business will keep operating under the group until a buyer is found.
L&T Took Half Its New Orders From The Middle East
Indian contractors already have a large Gulf business. The Middle East made up 51% of Larsen & Toubro’s order inflow in the July-September quarter, according to Investing.com’s summary of its results presentation. International work makes up 54% of its order book. The company booked orders worth about Rs 1.48 lakh crore in the quarter.
For Indian buyers of Dubai property, contractors matter because most Dubai sales are off-plan. Buyers pay instalments years before a contractor finishes the building. The Laing O’Rourke Middle East sale does not affect residential towers now being sold, since its recent work has been in data centres.
Who Buys Laing O’Rourke Middle East
The risk for the market is contractor capacity. Dubai completed 104 projects in the first half of 2026, against 75 a year earlier, and Cavendish Maxwell expects 136,100 homes to be completed in 2027. Fewer large international contractors, combined with higher material costs, could put more pressure on schedules.
Watch who buys the business, and whether a regional or Asian contractor uses it to win more data centre work. The price will also show how buyers value Gulf construction margins after the cost rises of 2026.
For investors, Laing O’Rourke Middle East made about £12 million on £266 million of turnover, a margin of about 4.5% by Invest Dubai Today’s calculation. That shows how thin construction profits can be even in a busy market. End-users are not directly affected, as the unit’s recent projects are data centres. For Indian buyers, Indian contractors such as L&T publish quarterly results, which show how much of their work now sits in the Gulf.
Discover more from Invest Dubai Today - Dubai Realty Insights
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
