Housebuilder Persimmon sees sales hit in bid to rebuild reputation after scandals

Beleaguered housebuilder Persimmon’s efforts to recover from a string of scandals, including complaints about poor-quality construction, have dented sales it emerged on Wednesday.

The FTSE 100 builder said the weekly private sales rate had fallen 5% compared with last year since January. Forward sales this year were £2.7 billion, down from £2.8 billion.

Persimmon blamed the falls partly on “a more targeted approach to the timing of sales releases”. It has previously sold many properties off plan, but is now looking to sell homes on some high volume sites closer to construction completion dates.

The move is part of a plan to rebuild its reputation following complaints over the quality of its homes, amid fresh BBC reports that some new-builds by Persimmon were sold with missing or incorrectly installed fire barriers, designed to stop fires spreading.

The firm said it has been investigating the issue to identify and rectify any problems.

Persimmon has also come under fire for excessive pay, with former boss Jeff Fairburn leaving last year with a bonus totalling £84.9 million over two years.

It said the new-build housing market has proved resilient.