In terms of the firm’s controversial Back To Basics programme, introduced last year after the removal of the company’s former chief executive Alison Platt, this morning’s trading statement talks of “significant progress.”
It says: “The build back of expertise is now largely complete with a full complement of staffing and separate sales and lettings expertise at regional and branch management level. The register of properties available for sale in UK sales and lettings was up nine per cent year on year.
“The pipeline of agreed sales awaiting exchange of contracts in UK Sales and Lettings was up five per cent having begun the year with a 21 per cent opening pipeline deficit in UK sales. Ancillary services income for each £1 of estate agency revenues for the year was 44p (2017: 38p).”
Countrywide’s full year-end figures, complete with a pledge to include more details of the firm’s turnaround programme and future proposals, will be released on March 7.
Here's this morning's trading statement in full:
Total Group income for the year was £627 million (2017: £672 million(1)), which is a resilient performance against the backdrop of both a challenging market and the previously reported 19% opening pipeline(2) deficit in Sales at the beginning of 2018.
The Group's Adjusted EBITDA(3) for the year ended 31 December 2018 was £33 million (2017: £65 million(1)), and includes £2 million of net charges, unrelated to current trading, resulting from a review of the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities.
The Group's underlying trading (excluding the £2 million of net charges) was in line with the Board's expectations at £35 million.
Significant progress on implementation of "Back to Basics", with more opportunity in 2019
The Group announced on 2 August 2018 its Strategy and Turnaround plan, at the heart of which was to build back industry expertise in Sales and Lettings to support the growth in the register of properties available for sale, to grow the pipeline of agreed sales in the UK and to improve ancillary income.
We have made significant progress in the delivery of Back to Basics in Sales and Lettings:
· The build back of expertise is now largely complete with a full complement of staffing and separate sales and lettings expertise at regional and branch management level.
· The register(4) of properties available for sale in UK Sales and Lettings was up 9% year on year.
· The pipeline of agreed sales awaiting exchange of contracts in UK Sales and Lettings was up 5% having begun the year with a 21% opening pipeline deficit in UK Sales.
· Ancillary services income for each £1 of estate agency revenues for the year was 44p (2017: 38p).
A more detailed progress report on our turnaround and the further opportunities for improvement that lie ahead will be provided with the release of our Preliminary results on Thursday 7 March 2019.
Segmental performance:
Sales and Lettings
Income in the sales and lettings business for the full year was £329 million (2017: £361 million(1)) with a strong performance in particular in lettings, which was flat year on year, offset by a 16% decline in sales, due to the lower pipeline of sales agreed as we ended 2017, and the challenging market.
B2B
Income in our B2B businesses was £213 million (2017: £221 million), with another good performance in surveying and valuations, offset by a slower market for new homes and a slower commercial transactional property market.
Financial Services
Financial Services income was £84 million (2017: £87 million), including another year of strong double digit income growth across the combined Buy to Let Business, Mortgage Bureau and Mortgage Intelligence channels offset by lower transactional volumes from estate agency sales.
Net debt
Net debt was £70 million, with a net debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio of 2.2x.
Outlook
We are encouraged by the progress we have made in our Strategy and Turnaround plan and in the growth in the register and the pipeline in the UK. Nevertheless, we remain cautious about the market outlook for 2019 and continue to closely monitor market conditions for any potential impact arising from the wider political and economic environment. We will be in a position to provide further guidance for 2019 with the release of our Preliminary results on 7 March 2019.
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Hmm so that means an average turnover, just taking in the 850 residential Branches, of circa £75000 per branch cant be much fat on the bone there !!!
A 5.26% gross profit is not a sign of success, most successful one branch agencies trade on a gross profit margin of 28%. A national company should be aiming for 12% to 14%.
If sold prices reduce nationally by 5% in 2019, then Countrywide fees will reduce in line, which is very likely.
Also, if the government bans referral fees from mortgage finance, solicitors and survey business, this lost revenue will also impact on Countrywides bottom line, as I think solicitor referrals alone is worth a large sum each year.
I hope that Countrywide do weather the storm, but I would advise closing branches that have never made profit or marginal profit, and put resources into the profit making offices, and perhaps, develop staff and employ great mangers at branch level.
Put it this way, if you went to a crowdfunding site and said I have great idea, we are going to generate 627M of revenue in 2018, but only see a 5.26% gross profit, you probably would not have any takers especially if you said the brand was a mature one dating back decades.
Thoughts?
Stephen, I am sure it was a typo but it is only £7,500 annual gross profit per branch I am afraid
- 850 branches x £7,500 gross profit a branch =6.375M gross profit.
So that is £625 gross profit a month per branch, time to sell coffee and sandwiches perhaps? Or maybe not with Patisserie Valerie having a bad time … is nothing sacred?
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