Changes are afoot at McCarthy & Stone, following the bedding-down of its £1.1 billion acquisition by private equity investment vehicle Mother Bidco – the HBOS-backed consortium including Sir Tom Hunter’s West Coast Capital. The August 2006 deal consequently saw the company de-listed last December. The retirement homes builder has completely revamped its website, with the “dynamic new site focusing on the set of values that make McCarthy & Stone developments so popular: companionship, independence, convenience, reduced maintenance, and above all security,” said the company. The revamp comes as chairman Keith Lovelock announces plans to retire after 20 years with the firm, and former Barratt chief executive David Pretty joins the board as a non-executive director. “The company has had a few distractions since the acquisition, and it is now keen to get on and grow and develop,” said Pretty.