Mace Construct lost its name in a sale and became Forco. Do you own yours?

On 4 November 2026 Mace Construct, the UK contractor, said it will be called Forco from January 2027, according to Construction Enquirer and Construction News. It is changing because Mace Consult, the consulting business it split from in March, kept the Mace name.

What happened?

Both outlets report that Mace Construct will keep trading under its current name until January, and that Mace Consult keeps the Mace brand. Construction News says the name and logo were unveiled at an event at the Odeon Leicester Square, London. It reports the symbol as an abstract letter F meant to look like floors in a building under construction, with the line "the shape of progress". It also reports that the agency Koto developed the identity with input from more than 2,000 colleagues, clients and other contributors.

Construction News gives the rollout: site rebranding from 11 to 29 January, a staff launch event on 21 January, a new website and email addresses in January, and internal systems by the end of the first quarter. Old logos come off more than 2,000 helmets and hi-vis jackets, which go to charity. It adds that the company must stop using the Mace brand by June 2027, and that a new strategy launches in January with a goal of £3bn revenue by 2030.

The company's own announcement returned an access error when I tried to open it, so I have relied on the two trade reports. Construction Enquirer does not carry the symbol, slogan or dates, so those details come from Construction News alone.

What are people saying?

Executive chair Mark Reynolds is quoted by Construction Enquirer saying the company's culture, values and people will not change and clients can expect the same teams. Both reports describe the name as short and easy to pronounce, and Construction News adds that it is meant to read well on cranes, hoardings and hard hats. I found no critical comment in either report, and no client or staff reaction yet. It is hours old, so nobody can say how the name will land.

My take: the name is the cheapest part of a brand to change

This is opinion. Changing a name is loud and expensive in the short term, but it is a one-off job with a deadline. Reynolds's own point is the real one: the teams, the values and the way the work is done carry on. If that is true, the brand survives the rename. If it is not true, no new logo will save it.

Look at what the company is doing with that point. It is spending the next two months telling everyone that nothing has changed except the name. That is the right message, and it only works if clients can already name what they get from these people. The names that survive a rename are the ones backed by something customers can describe in a sentence.

A name is a label on a promise. Lose the label and you still own the promise.

Most founders will never face a demerger, but many rent their brand in smaller ways: a parent company's name, a marketplace profile, a licensed product line, a domain someone else controls. In Brand Growth OS™ terms, Clarify comes before Construct. Know what you stand for first, then build the name, logo and signals around it, so that any of them can change without the customer losing you.

What should a founder do about it?

• If our name disappeared tomorrow, what would customers still recognise? Write it down: the promise, the people, the way you work. If the answer is "nothing", the name is carrying too much.
• What do we rent rather than own? List the names, accounts, domains and partner listings you depend on, and who could take each away.
• Could we explain a change to customers in two sentences? Forco's message is "same teams, new name". Have your own version ready before you need it.

The Brand Growth Audit™ shows what your brand stands on besides its name, and the Positioning Statement Builder gets that promise into one sentence. Earlier this week: who owns the story when you sell through a partner. See all brand voices or about Mike Bruce.

Sources

Construction Enquirer, 4 Nov 2026 · Construction News, 4 Nov 2026. Opinion is Mike Bruce's; facts are as reported by those outlets, and the company's own release was not opened. See all brand voices.