Persimmon reports “encouraging” start to 2013

The company’s Castle Bromwich-based Space4 timber frame manufacturing operation has also seen a 2% growth in sales, plus the commissioning of a new wall production line.

In its final results for the year ended December 31, 2012, Persimmon said its weekly sales rate per site was 3% ahead of last year for the first eight weeks of 2013.

“Customer interest in our sites, as evidenced by our website activity, is at an all-time high,” it said. “During the early weeks of 2013, visitor traffic is about 4% higher than for the prior year.”

Its forward sales stand at £1bn, up from £927.4m a year ago. Persimmon said it expects the UK housing market to remain “challenging” but believes the company will continue to make progress.

This year it has consolidated its three divisions into two – north and south – with each division holding 12 regional operating businesses.

In 2012 sales at the Space4 closed panel timber frame manufacturing business grew 2% to 3,300 new home kits – 98% of which were procured by the Persimmon group.

The start-up of a new wall panel line is expected to support further growth. The company said floor cassette production was now complemented by the supply of an alternative loose fit flooring system to improve overall on-site construction processes and costs.

“The adoption of a fabric first approach to achieving more exacting thermal efficiency standards encompassed within the improvement to building regulation in support of achieving future zero carbon objectives has doubled demand for Space4’s enhanced thermal wall range,” it said.

“We anticipate the use of this system will continue to increase as the demands of building regulations increase in the future.”