Persimmon is on track for an increase in completions and profit, despite facing “challenging trading conditions.
In a trading update for the period from 1 July to 1 November 2026, the housebuilder said that it is well positioned to deliver its planned growth in 2026 to c.12,500 homes, rising from 11,905 completions in 2025. The Group’s private forward sales position has increased 3% year-on-year to £2.15billion, while 77% of this year’s expected open market private delivery is already exchanged or completed.
Persimmon’s sales rate since 1 July increased to 0.79 net private sales per outlet per week, or 0.65 when excluding bulk sales, compared to 0.76 and 0.63 respectively in 2025. The Group noted that the Build to Rent market remains active and continues to provide attractive opportunities alongside our private sales, with 77% of planned 2026 BtR delivery currently exchanged.
The housebuilder also reported a 2% increase in its average private selling price, which now stands at £301,900, and said that it is continuing to make “good planning progress”. In the nine months to 30 September, 8,722 plots achieved detailed or reserved matters approval, up from 7,753 the previous year. Persimmon also opened 57 new outlets so far in the year and says it remains on track to open c.100 outlets for the full year. The Group also said it is set to open over 100 outlets in 2027 to support further outlet growth.
Dean Finch, Group Chief Executive of Persimmon, commented: “We are pleased to have sustained our resilient performance in a challenging market, with our market share continuing to grow. Our clear strategy has allowed the Group to increase both sales and planning approvals at a time when the overall sector is declining. We expect to deliver another year of volume and profit growth, reflecting continued progress against our strategy and the strength of our three brands, product mix, national footprint and low-cost operating platform. We remain on track to deliver our 2026 performance in line with market expectations.”
“We welcome the government’s recognition of the affordability challenges facing homebuyers through its proposed Your First Home scheme. While affordability and build-cost pressures persist across the sector, our disciplined approach to land buying, our outlet network, strong brands and increasingly vertically integrated platform position us well to navigate these challenges, support sustainable growth and drive returns.”
Looking ahead, Persimmon expects to deliver another year of growth despite the ongoing challenging market conditions.
The trading update said: “Our progress reflects deliberate long-term investment in our land pipeline, planning capability, three-brand strategy, and increasingly integrated operating platform. These advantages are supporting growth today while positioning Persimmon to deliver higher volumes, stronger returns and increased shareholder value over the medium term. Given the strength of our actions to mitigate the increased cost pressures in the year, and assuming no further material change in market conditions, we remain on track to deliver our 2026 performance in line with market expectations.”
In 2027, Persimmon expects to continue growing volumes, but anticipates that market conditions will remain challenging as a result of ongoing affordability constraints, higher borrowing costs and uncertainly over build costs.
The Group said that it has already identified actions that are expected to substantially mitigate these headwinds by 2028 and that it continues to invest in the capabilities that support long-term value creation.
It also said that it is well placed to play a significant role in the delivery of the Your First Home scheme over time; however, it is too early to assess its potential impact on 2027.
