Countrywide PLC announces poor performance in sales and lettings

Countrywide PLC today announces preliminary statement of annual results for the year ended 31 December 2017. The statement headlines: 2017 A disappointing year – 2018  Management Change and recovery plan underway.

Group reported:  Income for the full year was £671.9 million (2016: £737.0 million) while adjusted EBITDA was 23% lower at £64.7 million (2016: £83.5 million) driven by poor performance in Sales and Lettings. more…..

Commenting, Peter Long, Executive chairman said:

“The under-performance of our business over the last three years has resulted in us making significant management change in the Group. 

Industry expertise in all areas of our business is key. Within Sales and Lettings, the previous strategy resulted in us losing a lot of that expertise.  In the Group, we are fortunate in that we have an industry veteran, Paul Creffield, who has been promoted to the role of Group operations director.  His deep understanding of the market and operations means that we have quickly been able to identify what we need to do to begin addressing our under-performance. I am greatly encouraged by the number of high calibre industry business leaders that we already have within our Sales and Lettings business and a number of similarly experienced and high calibre industry people who previously left us and want to rejoin now that Paul is in this role.

Fundamentally, Countrywide has a unique market position given its breadth within the property services industry. We have established and trusted brands that resonate with customers, together with dedicated and committed colleagues who are the cornerstone of our business. The strong areas in the Group, Financial Services and B2B, have unfortunately been overshadowed by the poor performance in our core Sales and Lettings business units. We believe these business units are fixable, know what we have to do to restore them and the steps to take that should result in a return to profitable growth.  This will take time but ultimately there will be much upside for our Group and our shareholders, whose patience has been sorely tested recently.”

Read the Countrywide plc Preliminary statement of annual results for the year ended 31 December 2017 in full click here.

 

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Breaking Property News 18/12/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio” UK Estate Agents to go Danish style Government suggests professionalising property agents by adopting the Danish protocol Extract from the Open consultation Government Home Buying and Selling reform consultation – closing date 29th December ‘Estate agents play a pivotal…
Read More
Breaking News

2026 Predictions for the Lettings Sector

By Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director, Leaders “The Renters’ Rights Bill will be the defining influence on the sector in 2026. While it raises the bar for professionalism and improves standards for tenants, it also represents the biggest operational shift landlords and agents have faced in a generation. Long-standing tenancy practices are changing, and…
Read More
Breaking News

The unexpected areas driving the UK property market

The latest market analysis from eXp UK shows that it is Derbyshire, Melton and Oldham that have driven UK house price growth over the last year, having posted the strongest annual increases of all UK local authorities. As another year comes to a close, eXp UK has analysed annual house price growth across the UK…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Here’s Why Watching Friends Buy Homes Messes with Your Head

Watching friends buy homes can mess with your head in a very specific way. And yeah, sure, it’s not always jealousy, and it’s not even always sadness either. It’s more like this quiet weight that shows up out of nowhere and just sits there while you scroll, smile, and tell yourself you’re genuinely happy for…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Choosing the Perfect Pergola Size

Selecting the right pergola dimensions represents one of the most crucial decisions in creating your ideal outdoor space. Too small, and you’ll feel cramped; too large, and it may overwhelm your garden or breach planning permissions. Understanding how to assess your needs ensures you invest in a structure that enhances rather than dominates your property.…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove to launch Christmas campaign as bigger Boxing Day bounce expected

Rightmove, the UK’s largest property platform, is encouraging potential home-movers to get started with their new year moving plans by investing in a multi-channel marketing campaign launching on Christmas Day. The campaign comes ahead of the traditional ‘Boxing Day bounce’ in home-moving activity on Rightmove, which typically sees new seller and buyer activity begin to…
Read More