FTSE 250 builder Kier exits residential property entirely as online furniture retailer Dusk shelves £300m London float

Two stories from the UK capital markets and listed-company space illustrate the continued squeeze on sectors exposed to housing and consumer sentiment. Kier Group, a FTSE 250 construction and infrastructure firm, told shareholders on 15 September 2026 that it is withdrawing all capital from the residential property sector after pre-tax profit from its property arm fell by a quarter to £9.1m in the year to June 2026. Kier described the backdrop as "challenging" and cited macro-economic turbulence. The company is pulling out of housing in a controlled way and will redirect all efforts toward government infrastructure partnerships, noting that 90 per cent of its contract revenues already come from the public sector and regulated firms. Kier described itself as a strategic supplier to the government and said it expects significant revenue growth from water, energy, defence, and healthcare projects. Separately, Dusk, an online homeware retailer, shelved plans for a £300m London Stock Exchange flotation that had been expected later in 2026. No reasons were given for the decision to pause the float. Together the two moves reflect the combined pressure from a slowing UK housing market, elevated borrowing costs, and fragile consumer confidence on companies that had been positioning for either residential growth or a public markets debut.