Persimmon sees a strong start to 2021 amid healthy demand for new homes Yorkshire News

The York-based group will tell shareholders at its General Shareholders’ Meeting today that demand for new-build homes remains healthy.

Dean Finch, Group Chief Executive Officer, will tell investors: “Persimmon has had a good start to the year with current forward sales 23% ahead of last year and 11% ahead of the same point in 2019.

“Our construction rates remain at pre-Covid levels and we remain on track to deliver H1 volumes approaching H1 2019.

“We are making progress in our land holdings and taking advantage of good quality investment opportunities, bringing 6,000 parcels in 29 locations to the business in the period and ensuring a strong portfolio of projects for the future. stable at approximately 300 points of sale on average throughout the year. “

Last month, Finch outlined five key priorities to ensure Persimmon achieves its new ambition and ensures a reputation for exceptional service and exceptional value.

He will tell shareholders: “We are making good progress and it is gratifying that our HBF customer satisfaction score remains above the five-star threshold.

“New construction demand remains healthy and the group’s sales rates are encouraging.

“Persimmon’s high-quality properties, strong balance sheet and liquidity provide a solid platform to continue to deliver the homes the country needs, supporting long-term sustainable returns for the benefit of all its shareholders.”

The group’s median sales price for homes sold to private owners in the forward order book is £ 252,000, up from £ 244,500 last year.

Persimmon said that customer inquiry levels remained encouraging during the first four months of 2021 and that its average private sales rate for the current year to date is well ahead of 2020, as expected given the impact of the pandemic from week 12 of last year. However, it is also 17% ahead of 2019, before the pandemic hit.