Market challenges take their toll on estate agent Countrywide’s profits February 13, 2019 Beleaguered estate agent Countrywide’s profits halved last year, as the property group battled to keep its debt pile under control in the wake of housing market uncertainty and disruption from online rivals. Subdued activity in parts of the UK’s housing market in the last year has dented profits for the group, which has also struggled [...]
Revealed: The high street retailers that collapsed in 2018 January 7, 2019 To many analysts, 2018 was seen as the year the death knell was sounded for the high street, with the number of retailers falling into administration rising for the second year in a row, according to Deloitte. A total of 125 retailers collapsed last year and there was a 53 per cent increase in Company [...]
Royal Mail chair steps down because of Countrywide commitments September 19, 2018 The chairman of Royal Mail, Peter Long, announced today that he is stepping down with immediate effect. Royal Mail said he had taken the decision after his other commitments “increased substantially” this year, including moving from non-executive to executive chairman at troubled estate agents Countrywide. Long joined the board of Royal Mail in June 2015 [...]
Countrywide share price slumps after UK housing market slowdown July 31, 2015 Shares in the UK’s biggest estate agency Countrywide tumbled four per cent yesterday after posting a sharp fall in profits, blaming a “difficult housing market” and the uncertainty in the run-up to the General Election. The company, which owns estate agencies including Hamptons, Blundells and John D Wood, said profit before tax decreased [...]
Countrywide blames General Election uncertainty for first quarter slowdown April 29, 2015 Britain’s biggest estate agency Countrywide warned that market transactions would be “significantly below” last year’s levels, because of uncertainty over the outcome of the election causing prospective buyers to put their plans on hold. The company, which owns estate agencies including Hamptons, Blundells and John D Wood, said total income dropped by two per cent [...]
Countrywide predicts rocky 2015 for property market despite record profits February 26, 2015 The figures The UK's largest estate agent, Countrywide, whose brands include Bairstow Eves, Hamptons and John D Wood, announced a 20 per cent rise in total income to £702.2m in its first year as a publicly listed company. Profit before tax rose 63 per cent to a record level of £102.4m, from £62.9m at the same stage [...]
Countrywide prepares for new acquisitions with £100m loans February 9, 2015 Estate agency Countrywide has increased its financing facilities from £150m to £250m, the FTSE-250-listed firm announced yesterday. Countrywide said the extra finance will be used for general corporate purposes, including funding potential acquisitions. The £250m revolving credit facility has been provided by its current banking syndicate, comprising Abbey National Treasury Services, AIB Group (UK), Barclays, [...]
Countrywide cheers with £20m payout June 26, 2014 SHARES in Countrywide surged over five per cent yesterday, after it said it would pass the proceeds of its recent sale of its stake in property portal Zoopla on to shareholders. It plans to pay a special dividend of £20m, worth 9p per share, alongside its interim dividend, on 15 September. Countrywide sold around nine [...]
Countrywide hires Bupa director Alison Platt to be next chief exec May 20, 2014 COUNTRYWIDE is to bring in a female executive to succeed Grenville Turner when he steps up from chief executive to chairman late this year, the UK’s largest estate agency announced yesterday. The group has poached Alison Platt, the head of health insurer Bupa’s international development markets business, to take over as chief executive in September. [...]
Countrywide lifts forecasts as it predicts housing volumes boost October 31, 2013 BRITAIN’S biggest estate agency Countrywide increased its full-year profit forecast yesterday as it bets on a strong uplift in housing sales. The company, which raised £200m when it returned to the stock market earlier this year, has been helped by the housing market recovery, fuelled by government measures to help struggling Britons purchase their own [...]