Kier Group plc is a British construction, services and property group active in building and civil engineering, support services, and the Private Finance Initiative. Founded in 1928 in Stoke-on-Trent it initially specialised in concrete engineering before expanding into general contracting and housebuilding. Kier was listed as a public company on the London Stock Exchange from 1963 until it was acquired by Beazer in 1986. After a period under the ownership of Hanson plc, it was bought out by its management in 1992, expanded its housing interests, and was relisted on the London Stock Exchange in 1996. During the early 21st century, it expanded through acquisitions, and, following the January 2018 collapse of rival Carillion, Kier was briefly ranked, by turnover, as the second biggest UK construction contractor, behind Balfour Beatty. It was then a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. However, its share price plunged following a failed rights issue in late 2018, and by mid 2019 was suffering such deep losses that analysts considered Kier might "go bust". Wikipedia