Countrywide half yearly results

Countrywide PLC interim results posted today: Group income grew to £338.6 million, however, a difficult UK housing market led to £41.0 million of EBITDA versus £45.0 million in the same period last year.

Grenville Turner, Chairman at Countrywide plc, commented: “While we remain cautious, we are also optimistic as our broad-based business with diversified revenue streams provides a safeguard against the housing market cycle and the predicted continued growth in our lettings and commercial businesses are encouraging for the delivery of our strategic ambitions. Our acquisition programme is well positioned to take advantage of these positive trends, while prior acquisitions continue to deliver growth.

“We are keen to look beyond 2015 to ensure we have the building blocks for real growth and value added activity in place so we can deliver a significant level of shareholder returns in coming years with significant incremental returns from 2017 onwards.”

Alison Platt, Chief Executive, added: “As anticipated, the first half of the year saw depressed activity in the UK residential sales market as UK consumers held back from making decisions pending the outcome of the most uncertain General Election in a generation. However, the benefits of our strategy to diversify the Group’s revenue streams were underlined by Countrywide’s ability to ride those challenges with 50% of our profits derived from sources independent of the UK housing transaction market.

“Particularly pleasing has been our ability to show resilience through a tough market and at the same time to make strong headway in implementing our Building our Future strategy. Our focus for the strategy is on growth and building a business which is bigger, because it is better.

“I firmly believe that our success is attributable to the continued support and commitment of everyone at Countrywide. We have the experience and passion to create the best environment and structure for our people to deliver outstanding customer experience while ensuring we capitalise upon all the opportunities offered by the UK property sector, both residential and commercial.”

For details in full see http://www.countrywide.co.uk/investor-relations/results-and-presentations/

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

Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Average two-year fixed mortgage rate for 60% LTV now cheaper than five-year rate

The average two-year fixed mortgage rate for those with a 40% deposit (60% LTV) is now cheaper than the average five-year fixed equivalent, the first time this has happened since the mini-Budget The average two-year fixed, 60% LTV mortgage rate is now 4.18%, while the five-year equivalent is 4.19% The gap between average two-year fixed…
Read More
Overseas Property

How UK Property Investors Can Manage Exchange Rate Risk When Buying Off-Plan Overseas

Off-plan purchases are especially common in developing overseas property markets with a high proportion of international investors. In these less mature markets, a significant share of stock is sold directly by developers, making off-plan transactions a natural sales model. These opportunities appeal to international buyers because they typically require less upfront cash due to extended…
Read More
Breaking News

Foxtons Lettings Market Index – March 2025

London rental market gains momentum as new rental listings surge, Foxtons data shows   March saw a 14% increase in new rental listings across London compared to February Applicant registrations rose by 11% month-on-month in March. Year on year, demand was stable, tracking just 2% below March 2024 levels The average rent in March stood…
Read More
Breaking News

UK’s mid-market firms show improved business growth in March but economic uncertainty continues

Key findings: NatWest’s Mid-market Growth Tracker shows improved business growth in March, led by a strong service sector performance SMEs register a softer decline in output levels during March Market conditions remain challenging and we could see continued challenges in the coming months   Mid-market businesses continued to outperform the wider UK economy in March,…
Read More
Breaking News

ONS Private rent and house prices UK – April 2025

The Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) measures private rent inflation for new and existing tenancies. The UK House Price Index measures house price inflation. Main Headlines Average UK monthly private rents increased by 7.7%, to £1,332, in the 12 months to March 2025 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate is down from 8.1% in…
Read More
Breaking News

Renters’ Rights Bill – what you need to know

The Renters’ Rights Bill is an extremely important piece of legislation for anyone who rents their home. For those in England (with some elements also covering Wales and Scotland), it represents one of the biggest changes in well over thirty years, and it’s important to be aware of what it might mean to you if…
Read More