Housebuilder Persimmon has reported a healthy start to the year, with its sales rate and forward sales up 3% and 5% respectively year on year.
In a trading update for the period from 1 January to 26 April, the group reported net private sales per outlet per week of 0.76, up from 0.74 during the same period in 2025. The group’s current forward sales are valued at £2.46bn, up from £2.34bn in the same period last year.
Its landholdings as of 31 March stood at 84,900 plots, up 1% from 83,800 a year earlier. Persimmon said it is now “being even more disciplined in our acquisition of new land”, in common with other major housebuilders.
The group expects full-year completions to stand at between 12,000 and 12,500 homes for 2026.
Chief executive Dean Finch said the conflict in Iran and resulting geopolitical and economic uncertainty “has not had any material impact on trading to date”, although he said the firm was “mindful of its potential impact”.
Persimmon’s trading update comes against a backdrop of larger housebuilders struggling amid geopolitical uncertainty, higher energy costs and build-cost inflation on the horizon.
Earlier this week, Taylor Wimpey became the latest major housebuilder to report a drop in its total order book and take a “highly selective” approach to land buying, following similar updates from Barratt Redrow and Berkeley Group.
Last month, Persimmon reported a 17% year on year increase in full year underlying operating profits to £472.1m, as well as full-year completions of 11,905 homes.
Finch said: “Persimmon has started the year well, building on our strong performance in 2025, with an improved private sales rate and an increase in average selling prices.”
He added that the Iran conflict and resulting economic uncertainty had led to “early signs of increased inflationary pressure” and Persimmon was “carefully monitoring the situation, driving sales across all brands and tenures, maintaining flexibility and a rigorous focus on cost control and cash generation, while being supported by a robust balance sheet”.
Oli Creasey, head of property research at Quilter Cheviot, said Persimmon “continues to buck the trend in the sector, with key performance measures growing”.
He added: “Management has noted ‘no material impact’ as a result of the Iran conflict to date, however there has been some softness observed in enquiry levels over the past few weeks, and growing expectation of cost inflation, which is expected to become more apparent in the second half of the year and into next year.
“However, Persimmon notes that actual sales rates have remained resilient and institutional buyer interactions are still positive, while the company’s vertically integrated model should help to mitigate some cost inflation.”
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