UK builder Bellway sees robust demand for new homes

(Reuters) – Homebuilder Bellway Plc on Tuesday forecast a surge in the number of homes it will deliver in its current fiscal year after record first-half volumes, while its forward sales jumped by nearly a third to 500 million pounds ($689.05 million)on strong demand.

Demand for homes rebounded in mid-2020 after the end of initial coronavirus restrictions and with the help of stamp duty incentives, low interest rates and appetite for bigger homes suitable for remote working.

England is now under lockdown again to tackle the new fast-spreading variant of the virus, although the new curbs exempt construction sites, offering relief to builders who had to shut for months last year due to the pandemic.

“While uncertainty remains in the wider economy, the underlying demand for good quality new homes remains robust,” said Chief Executive Jason Honeyman.

The Newcastle-based company, which builds everything from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes and luxury penthouses, said the number of completed new homes in the six months to Jan. 31, 2021 rose 6.3% to 5,656 compared with the same period a year ago.

Its order book at the end of last month stood at 5,889 homes, compared with 4,598 units a year earlier.

The FTSE 250 firm said there was strong demand for private homes with the private reservation rate rising 3.3% to 156 per week.

($1 = 0.7256 pounds)

(Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Tomasz Janowski)