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LONDON (Alliance News) - Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey PLC on Monday said trading in 2015 was strong, with the company's total home sales rising, its average selling price higher and its forward sales position growing, leaving it well positioned for this year.
The FTSE 100-listed group said it sold 13,341 homes over the course of 2015, up 7.0% year-on-year from the 12,454 it sold a year earlier. Its weekly reservation rate increased for the year and it sold those homes at an average price of GBP230,000 apiece, up from GBP213,000.
The group closed the year with a record order book in place, at GBP1.78 billion, compared to GBP1.40 billion at the end of 2014. That equates to 7,484 homes in total, up from 6,601 a year earlier.
Taylor Wimpey said housing remains high on the political agenda in the UK and welcomed the recognition recently shown by the UK government of the supply-demand imbalance in the UK housing market.
The group said it has started the year in a strong forward sales position and is confident it will make further progress in 2015.
"We have delivered a strong trading performance in 2015, in a positive housing market, building more homes than at any point in the last six years and delivering a record operating profit margin of over 20%," said Pete Redfern, Taylor Wimpey's chief executive.
By Sam Unsted; samunsted@alliancenews.com; @SamUAtAlliance
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