Earnings Call: H2 2020

Mar 3, 2021

Good morning and thank you for joining us today. It's now 5 months since I joined the business and I've been hugely impressed by the strength of the company. It's an incredibly valuable business. Persimmon buys land really well and also develops it really well whilst balancing the needs of design and place making. It also builds very efficiently, giving it a competitive advantage over its peers. But importantly, it is now building at a quality that is comparable to its peers, as recent surveys show. And our market positioning is pitch perfect, Thanks to a strong focus on first time buyers and first time movers. And of course, all of this is underpinned by a very strong balance sheet. As I'll come on to later, Persimmon can build on this to become an even better and bigger business. The key to this is to build consistently well at scale. As we build more, We will sell more and grow the business. The key to this is building right first time and putting customers at the heart of the business. We already provide outstanding value. I want us to have a reputation for outstanding quality and service as well. Having come from a highly customer focused business, this is key for me. By achieving these things, we will become Britain's undisputed leading house builder, and we will create a long term sustainable business for all. Today, we are also here to share with you that Despite 2020 being a tough year because of COVID, Persimmon has delivered a very robust performance, thanks to a very nimble operational handling of the pandemic. Mike will now take you through the business in detail before I return to set help my priorities for the business. Andy will explain how the Persimmon Way is helping us build high quality homes at scale, and then Liam will explain how Fibonest is proving to be perfectly aligned with the changing needs of our customers before I come back to talk about growth. Thank you, Dean. What I'm going to do now is take us Through the financial review of 2020 and one or two pointers about the future. So I'm going to look at the key elements of the group's Trading for the year, some of the key features of the balance sheet. We'll review the cash generation and then consider the distributions And longer term returns. So we have delivered a robust financial performance in 2020. I think it's important that we understand a little bit of the landscape through 2020 because it has been an unprecedented Period of disruption with the outbreak of the pandemic. And I think this performance that you see today Demonstrates the quality of the Persimmon business strategy, the agility of the management team, The position of the business in its markets, the quality of its assets, offering homes at more affordable prices in great locations And the strength of its financial position. 2020 opened well, strong forward sales at the start of the year, Strong forward build. And the 1st 11 weeks of the year, we enjoyed sales rates 10% ahead of the prior year. The pandemic hit in week 12 and activity reached a low point in week 15, 16. And the key issue for us as a business and really for the industry is that we lost circa 50% production in Q2, Although we did see a strong return to full productivity by the end of June. So with those gyrations in the first half Of the year, we still managed to hand over 4,900 new homes in the first half. And the second half was characterized by similarly very strong sales rates, eventually 39% stronger than last year, Turning the traditional seasonality on its head, and it's remarkable to think that the group's full year sales rates ended 12% ahead of the prior year. We continue to build strongly. And on the back of that strong construction, We delivered record new home numbers in the second half, 8,675 new homes delivered to our customers in the second half. And through all of this, the group managed To deliver circa £860,000,000 of pretax profit with resilient margins prior to setting aside The £75,000,000 provision to help address the now banned cladding issues, We are really focused on ensuring occupants remain safe and there's no impediment To the moving in the market. In addition, the group exited the year with record forward sales, up 25%, Strong liquidity, €1,200,000,000 of cash and an excellent land platform and work in progress, which Dean will I'll be providing greater detail on in a few minutes. So a great performance for the year. We've highlighted the set aside of €75,000,000 with respect to our legacy buildings and the work that we intend to do there In support of our customers, looking at the trading in a bit more detail, Obviously, the market was significantly disrupted by COVID-nineteen. Housing revenues, you can see down 8%, and that is on the back of Strong selling prices mitigating an overall volume shortfall of 14%. For the full year, average sales rate per site on fresh reservations was 12% ahead, So that continued to provide the platform moving into 2021 in terms of our forward sold position. And what we saw in terms of our legal completions in 2020, We saw an increased proportion of homes sold to private owner occupiers at 84% of the mix, Which did help our margins a little in 2020. So strong operating profit, €863,000,000 and a strong Profile of pricing through the year, however, our margins did suffer a little through The disruption to overall volume delivery, our fixed overhead efficiencies were undermined. In addition to that, we incurred specific costs relating to Managing the business through the pandemic, which continued to run on, together with some extension of site development periods, which will be incurred moving forward and recovered in part at a future date. So looking in a little bit more detail, we're particularly pleased with the margin resilience In the year, you can see there that we delivered 31% gross margin For the full year of 2020. And what shines through there is the land recoveries of 14 0.2% of selling price, which remain very supportive of high quality Margins moving forward. Obviously, the detail here does exclude the provision made to help address resident safety and security. But if we look at that in a little bit more detail, as I say, resident safety is the priority. We've identified 26 multi storey, multi occupancy developments, which we've constructed in the past, Where cladding material may no longer fully comply with current government guidance, where We intend to undertake works where we own the building. We've got 5 buildings there that we Leading the work to make safe, and we'll be working with the owners of the other 21 buildings To reach a similar positive outcome for the occupants. The margin resilience of the business is supported by high quality land holdings. We've got a very strong land position, As you can see here in the usual summary, you'll see there that the cost of revenue percentage of owned and controlled plots at 12.4%, I believe it's a record low for the business. And I think the key message that we want to Underscore today is the fact that we're very willing to invest in land where there's clear Opportunity to deliver value, so we're very focused on replacing our land that we consume for the right opportunities. And I think that the embedded margins in the land bank continue to be Industry leading because of this focus and discipline around land replacement. So for the 67,200 Owned plots within that land bank, you'll see there that we have an overall embedded gross margin of in excess of 32.5%, Which again will support future delivery as we move forward. We've also taken steps to support the group's sustainability and security of supply in support of future growth. As you know, we have an element of vertical integration within the group. We've got our own brick factory and now roof tile factory, Which came on stream early on in 2020, which is supplying roof tiles to the group. We also have the Space 4 factory delivering timber frames and closed panel Systems and roof cassettes to construct timber frame Homes, and we intend to continue to develop that modern method of construction. Through this self help, we believe it's the right thing to do to support the supply chain capacity And indeed, the byproduct of that is to provide support to the wider industry in the whole industry's goal to improve output In line with government targets. And indeed, Dean will cover the group's growth potential And opportunities in a few minutes as we move through the presentation. So let's go to the balance sheet. We do have a very strong financial position, an excellent land platform in support of Our future intended growth plans, the work in progress investment is strong, But we do recognize that we have the need to continue to build strongly. Our equivalent units of new home construction At the end of the year, it was around about 7% lower than prior year. So there's work to do there, which all the teams are focused on. And obviously, the liquidity of the business is very strong with £1,200,000,000 of cash held And the lower land creditor pool, which gives us headroom for further investment. So just looking at cash generation in a bit more detail, we've said many times that the cash generation of the business It is the product of both the cash generated through trading plus the cash either absorbed All generated through the management of the working capital. And the year of 2020 compared with 'nineteen is a good case in point in working through those mechanics. The cash inflow from operations was £179,000,000 lower in 2020 compared with 2019. So that's our trading piece, £179,000,000 lower than 2019. However, Through good working capital management, according to our cyclical strategy, Once you get down to the cash inflow before financing, we turn that sort of €179,000,000 shortfall into surplus of £153,000,000 747,000,000 being generated before financing In 2020. So that's a good worked example, if you will, in terms of the basic Moving parts in terms of cash management and liquidity management according to The strategy. And liquidity remains strong. You can see there The near term history in terms of the moving parts on cash generation And a key point here is the net cash position of just over £900,000,000 This is liquid cash holdings, less land creditors, provides a lot of headroom for further investment in support of the growth plans that we have as a business. Considering the cycle, it's also very, very important to be mindful of cycle In the housing market, we manage the business to sustain the strength Of the business through the housing cycle. And judging the scale and timing of capital deployment is Critically important in doing that on behalf of all our stakeholders. So I think that We are very aware of market conditions, obviously, having gone through quite A tumultuous time in 2020 together with the possible implications of Brexit, etcetera. So we as a board continue to think very carefully about where we are in the cycle and judging The management of the business in the right way through these times. Capital returns are very important in terms of A key moving part of managing the business, we do return surplus capital that we generate to shareholders. So let's have a quick look at the distributions from the company. Obviously, the first point In terms of recognizing the impact the pandemic had on 2020, particularly the first half of twenty twenty, The Board made the decision to cancel the surplus capital return due to be paid in April Appropriately. And we did postpone the final dividend for 2019 to later in the year. However, with the progress the business made, we felt able to fulfill that commitment of £1.10, albeit in 2 Parts 40p and 70p, albeit that final 2019 dividend was Paid last year. Looking ahead, I think it's absolutely key To remember, the reinvestment needs of the business is the priority for us. So that sets the context for the thoughts, the thinking, the logic around Our distributions to shareholders. I think the Board is always mindful of changing conditions And we'll continue to evaluate the future in that context. However, the Board does feel that it We can commit to total capital returns to be paid on account of the 2020 financial year during 2021 With the GBP 1.25 regular annual distribution being accelerated into March. And then obviously, any surplus top up payment would continue to be reviewed As we move through the year with a view that perhaps the £1.10 top up payment will be made through The second half of the year. And then further out in 2022, there's The Board is confident that it will be able to pay the regular annual distribution of £1.25 In 2022, but again, we'll continue to review the reinvestment needs of the business moving forward, and that will set the context for any Further top up payment in 2022. So That's sort of nearer term distributions, but I think it's worthwhile just reminding ourselves of the longer term returns that the business has delivered. And a couple of key points here is that over a 20 year period, Persimmon has delivered 22.1% Return on average capital employed, including land creditors, and I think we have to remind ourselves that our cost of equity is currently Around 6%, the business not carrying any gearing. So 22.1% 20 year record On delivering return on average capital employed, including land creditors, and that translates Into a total shareholder return, which is exceptional At over 2,600 percent compared to the FTSE Of just over 100% over that 20 year period. So at that point, I will hand back To Dean to take us through his plans for the business and unlocking the growth potential Moving forward. As I shared with you at the beginning, Persimmon is a great company with some terrific assets. My job is to make it an even better company, and I have 5 priorities to achieve this. My first is to continue to improve our build quality by building right first time, every time. My second It's to strengthen trust in our brand by putting customers at the heart of our business. We already give them outstanding value. I also want us to give them outstanding quality and outstanding service. My third priority is growth. By strengthening our capability to consistently build quality houses at scale, we will be able to sell more houses in a market where demand outstrips supply. My 4th priority is to maintain our financial leadership in terms of margins and returns, and we should achieve this by building right first time, every time. And as we build more and sell more, we will drive healthy profits and cash. And my 5th priority is to make sure Persimmon plays a responsible role in society. What I mean by this is taking care of its communities and taking care of the environment. Let me now talk about build quality and the Persimmon Way. As you will have gathered, build right first time, every time is my mantra. The Persimmon Way is helping us to do this. I want us to double down on this through more exacting build tolerances, through an expanded team of quality controllers, through our training pathways and biotechnology. I'm certain that the investments we are making in the business will be more than recovered as we save on the cost of remediation by building right first time. I see this every time I go on-site, whether this is in the drainage, whether this is in the block and brickworks, whether this is even in the front door. The key to this is good and well trained site management and an inspection regime that enforces our standards. I've talked about trust. What I mean by that is for us to listen to our customers and put them at the heart of everything we do. My goal is for us to give our customers outstanding value and outstanding quality and service. The business has come a long way over the last 12 months, and it's now consistently trending above 5 stars. Good news. Even better news is that we've seen a further improvement since the start of 2021. Our recent In respect of the ban cladding issue is, I believe, industry leading and a clear demonstration that we are serious when it comes to putting customers first. We want everyone to have trust in a home built by Persimmon. The message is simple. You can trust us to build you a safe, quality home. I now want to talk about unlocking more potential from Persimmon. As we develop our capability to build quality houses at scale, We will sell more of them, search is the strength of demand. As we sell more, we will drive growth, and I believe that we can do this without having to compromise our margin. As I said earlier, we have an industry leading LAN platform with superb embedded margins. We are investing in our resources to deliver this through our people and through our off-site manufacturing capabilities, which gives us tremendous security of supply and is a real advantage for the business. I also think Fibonest is a great asset, giving us a unique USP that is perfectly aligned with the changing consumer trends. I am very fortunate to inherit a business in such a strong financial position. It's a key priority of mine to protect our strong financial position and also to effectively use it. Through the efficiencies we've identified through the strength of Alarm Bank and our embedded margins, The skills of our people and the strength of our balance sheet, I am convinced that the future looks very strong for Persimmon. Given this great foundation, It's our responsibility to play our role in society. Persimmon plays a key role in the house building industry in the UK, And in recognition of this, I want it to play a strong and responsible role in society, whether that is delivering homes for all or taking action to This is what our customers are telling us, is what they want us to do, and it makes sound business sense. Reflecting this, we've announced this morning that we're committing to stretching emission targets, which I will now take you through in detail. Today, we set out our ambition to have net zero carbon homes fully in use by 2,030 and to achieve net zero carbon in our operations by 2,040. We are also setting out our goals to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. We're under no illusion as to how challenging these goals are, but we have assembled our own Team of experts within the business who are helping us develop plans to achieve these goals. Of course, we're not alone in this, And we are working with broader industry bodies as well as our supply chain. We're also working with Salford University to design and build a 0 carbon home using some of our standard products at our site at Germany back. We are piloting use of these homes with families that We'll take up residence later this year. We believe this to be an industry first in terms of a standard built home. I will now hand over to Andy, who will take us through the Persimmon Way and then Liam, who will talk about Fibonest. Thank you, Dean. I will now explain our response to COVID and the introduction of the Persimmon Way. Our response to the COVID pandemic in spring 2020 was both swift and effective. The action taken was to ensure the safety of our entire workforce, our customers and the wider community. By quickly establishing a robust COVID policy, we are able to provide the business with the tools to enable full compliance with U. K. Government Guidance. This meant we developed safe operating procedures to enable us to continue our business activities. We ensured that all employees continue to receive full pay. Our extensive IT network allowed effective home working all whilst maintaining full control of all operations. And we were able to quickly establish a COVID secure work environment for those unable to conduct There are activities from home. So what did we actually do on-site? As the COVID situation gathered momentum, we instructed an orderly shutdown of all construction sites. We maintained close and regular contact with our supply chain. We were able to closely manage any commitments and our cash flow. This full visibility, regular dialogue with our supply chain and close control Enabled a rapid return to construction activities when we were able to do so in a COVID secure way. Works on construction sites Marie commenced on the 27th April 2020 in England and Wales and on the 15th June in Scotland. A COVID passport to work scheme was introduced for all workers to ensure everyone fully understood The new safe operating procedures for their job role. COVID enforcers were introduced and together with our health and safety advisers, A team of over 100 personnel have undertaken regular site inspections to ensure our COVID policy and procedures are strictly followed. And our operative numbers in all our workplaces are carefully controlled and monitored. What this all ensured was that our COVID policy proved to be robust and adaptable as the COVID picture I'd like to now turn to sales and what we've achieved over the last extraordinary year. During the 1st lockdown, we were able to immediately switch to a remote sales process. We recorded record levels of activity both through our websites and via phone and e mail to our sales advisers as they continue to work remotely. Our digital sales platform fully supported our sales team to deliver excellent customer service to new and existing customers as the demand grew. And following government guidelines and strictly in accordance with COVID safe operating procedures, we were able to reopen sales offices in England and Scotland for pre arranged appointments. So how did COVID restrictions affect our existing customers? Following government guidelines, we maintained contact with all customers and we were able to respond to any emergency issues. With safe operating procedures in place, we're now able to deliver the full range of post completion customer services. The COVID passport to work procedure ensures that all operatives are fully aware of the required safe working procedures. This, together with an additional COVID permit to work, ensures they conduct their activity in a COVID secure way. This keeps them and our customers safe. Detailed communication with each customer during and after each appointment Allows us carefully to risk assess each visit to our customers' home. Before customers collect the keys to their new home, We're able to deliver the same exacting standards of service with innovations such as digital home demonstrations. And our new customer portal will allow us greater flexibility to deliver a wider range of services to suit all customers' needs. Dean has already talked about the Persimmon Way. I'd like to show you how we've applied this and how it affects our customers day to day. Launched last year, the Persimmon Way continues to evolve To ensure the needs of our customers are met by delivering workmanship and customer service to consistently high standards so that all customers receive good quality homes. We are first in the industry to launch a homebuyer retention scheme to provide customer confidence in the homes we build and the service we provide. Around half our customers now utilize this scheme. As we develop the Persimmon Way, we continue to invest in our customer care resource throughout the company. We've increased staff levels, improved training and provided dedicated teams with the very best industry knowledge, an increase of 67% since 2018. Innovations in technology including the new customer portal It allows better, quicker and more detailed communication with our customers. With working at home now more essential than ever, We're able to provide ultrafast fiber broadband connectivity through FiberNest live when customers receive the keys to their new home. So how does the Persimmon Way help us to provide quality homes to our customers? The Persimmon Way now defines how we plan and construct each development and underpins our customer care improvement plan. This end to end build policy was rolled out to each part of the company in 2020 and I am delighted how well this has being received by our staff. New detailed control procedures ensure consistency of build is always achieved. Our site based workforce have undergone skills assessment to identify any areas that require further training including a dedicated pathway to training all construction management with bespoke training modules providing continuous personal development. Our full portfolio of house types designs have undergone rigorous review to ensure consistency and accuracy of build. The introduction of the comprehensive quality control process last year, we now have 21 construction stages of each home that are thoroughly reviewed across each of our developments. We have a number of key stages that require independent verification before works are able to progress the next build stage. This ensures that all expected build standards are achieved for every home that we build. Let me now explain our enhanced quality control process to ensure, as Dean says, that we get it right the first time. Doing it right first time clearly makes business sense. It saves time and it ensures the very best use of our skilled workforce. Our independent quality controllers, The largest such team in the industry have their acquired skill sets and tools to ensure each home we build is fully compliant with building standards and strictly in adherence to the Persimmon Way. This check the checker principle provides independent insurers Before Build Can Continue ensures that critical stages including foundations, superstructure, fire safety features, plumbing and electrical installation Our all rigorously inspected and fully compliant. Our network of quality controllers reporting centrally It allows us to share best practice, identify product issues, develop any key training modules required giving full control not only at site level, but also at regional, divisional and group level. This year we will conduct a full independent external audit of the Persimmon Way. This will include audits of our construction sites within each of our 31 operating companies. This audit will identify the strengths and any weaknesses of the Persimmon Way and allows continued improvements to each part of the process. The results of both our internal quality control process and the external independent audit I'm made available to all areas of management and directors through to the highest level of Board engagement. Through the delivery of the Persimmon Way, we've identified any training needs of our workforce. We've developed construction modules that cover the entire build process from foundations through to completion. The Construction Site Management Pathway program has been designed to cater for those with a range of industry knowledge from the most experienced site managers to those beginning their construction career. For our wider construction workforce, we deliver trade specific training broken down into smaller modules to cover each work activity. Whilst training is most effectively delivered in the workplace With COVID restrictions in place, all training modules were modified to enable their delivery remotely. This has been hugely successful allowing us to continue to deliver training in a very efficient and effective way to meet the demands of our workforce. So in summary despite the challenges of COVID during 2020 we This has ensured a group policy that delivers the very best customer service and complete quality assurance to our customers. Our refined pre start process ensures that each development is thoroughly planned with working drawings, construction details, Products and a workforce that is fit for purpose. Each of the 21 build stages of every home we build is quality assessed, ensuring we consistently achieve the required build standards across the group. All construction work is checked From foundation to completion, supported by the industry's largest network of quality controllers. The independent external order of the Persimmon Way will provide an unbiased review to senior management Dedicated training pathways for construction management teams and construction modules For our wider workforce, we'll ensure that everyone has the training and support that they need to deliver the Persimmon Way. While some elements of the Persimmon Way were only in place towards the end of 2020, We're already seeing the early signs of improvement in customer satisfaction. The House Building Federation survey sent to all home buyers It has shown customer recommendation scores improving from 83.7% to 89.7% despite the COVID restrictions in place last year. In fact for home completion since January 2020 we are The Persimmon Way is a journey and we're now well on our way to provide the very best build quality and customer service to our valued customers And I am very much looking forward to seeing continued trend of improving customer satisfaction throughout this year and beyond. I will now hand you over to Liam Ronan, our Group Director responsible for Fibonest. Thank you. Thank you, Andy. What I'd really like to do is to talk to you about how effective and successful Fibonacci has been so far. And I'd really like to start by underlining really what our core values are with Fibonest and that is about moving in and getting connected from the moment the customer collects the keys. And indeed, we are the only UK house builder able to do this And we're very clear that day 1 connectivity is exactly what our customers expect and which as I'm sure you'll recognize It's more important at this time than ever before. Our customer service is fully installed during the construction of the plot, Which, by design, engineers out the need for an engineer visit after move in and therefore a delay which ordinarily results. Of course, in 2018, we became the 1st U. K. House builder to offer gigabit capable connections To all new developments and whilst the business is still fairly new, 2.5 years from our first connection, we already have the business operating on a set of highly automated and efficient processes, which of course will continue to develop as the business matures. Furthermore, and whilst of course it goes without saying that our primary objective It's to support the needs of our customers in the best way possible. In rolling out and developing the Fiber Nest service, we're directly supporting the U. K. Government It's agenda to deliver a better connected Britain, something the government is very clear on and something that we are very proud to be supporting. Now in support of that agenda, we are deploying Fibonest in a non discriminate way to make sure that whoever the customer is, wherever they choose to live, that only in buying a persimmon home can they receive the best possible Internet experience, again starting from the moment they collect the key. Now clearly, Given the rollout of the service is explicitly linked to the construction of our new homes, in the relatively short time the business has been operating, We've already achieved an impressive subscriber base of over 12,500 homes across 198 U. K. Sites, which of course will continue to grow as we open further outlets. Now what I'd like to do next is to talk about what further differentiates our business and that is the comprehensive choice of packages and value That's only available with Fibonest. As a business, we recognize that every customer is unique and they do of course have differing requirements in terms of their broadband speed and performance. Now with this in mind, we're pleased to offer a range of 6 packages starting from an entry level service At 10 megabytes per second for £14 a month, which is the lowest cost package available anywhere in the UK today. And there's a range of packages all the way up to 500 meg, so there really is price points and speed to suit all customer requirements. Finally, I'd like to visually illustrate to you the level of network growth we've seen in the business Just in the last 12 months. As you can see, the map of the UK Has approximately 128 outlets as at the end of 2019. And since that time, The number of outlets has grown by 60% to around 198 sites. Now what really excites us is the long term potential of this business, in that if one considers that the current scale has been achieved During what have been the embryonic stages of the business, where as you'd expect, its growth has been carefully nurtured, If one imagines that map a year from now, 3 years from now, 5, 10, 20 years from now, It's going to have significant UK reach and substantial density, which will all lead to a highly efficient And uniquely cost effective business. That concludes this short update on Fibonest, And I'll now hand back to Dean, who's going to talk to you about Homes for All. We currently have a strong network of some 300 outlets across the country That will enable us to grow our business this year. As I said earlier, I believe we are pitched perfectly in the market, selling around 50% of our homes to first time buyers where demand remains strong. Our prices begin at £40,000 and nearly a third of our homes are priced below £200,000 The simplicity of our designs, coupled with a strong control over costs, enables us to sell our houses at 17% below The national average giving us an unrivaled advantage over our competitors. These It is coupled with our strong land bank, give us a great opportunity for growth. Thanks to the strength of Persimmon's land teams, we've built up a high quality land bank over many years. Since I joined the business, I've been hugely impressed by the land deals that we are delivering that will ensure that the business has a great future for many years to come. I want to continue to unlock this great potential for the benefit of shareholders and deliver the profit potential embedded in these deals. To that end, I immediately established a land committee to approve deals and have also strengthened our group land resource. At the end of last year, we had some 84,000 plots owned and under control. We currently have 28,800 plots held under option and proceeding through planning And 14,000 plots controlled and allocated in local plans, giving us visibility of some 127,000 plots. But this does not mean we are chasing volume for the sake of it. We remain ruthlessly disciplined about acquiring land, As I explain on our next slide, Persimmon has built a justified reputation for astute land deals, and I shall not loosen that grip on my watch. Our strong land bank means that we do not have to do a bad deal in order to chase volume. The strength of our balance sheet also gives us an advantage when it comes to doing good deals. Investment in strategic land remains a key priority of the business, and we are strengthening our resources to develop this further. During last year, we acquired more strategic land and held 15,500 acres At the year end, that has the potential to deliver around another 100,000 new homes. A key objective of mine is to turn these opportunities into more outlets from which we can sell our products, meaning we have a strong platform for future growth. 2021 has got off to a strong start With private weekly sales rates per outlet up 7% compared to last year. As I said, we are focused on bringing more outlets on stream during the course of this year and building on this over next, but We shall remain disciplined in putting customers before volume. Selling prices remain firm. And despite the introduction of new price cuts in the Help to Buy scheme, we're seeing little impact on demand And sales are currently reserved well into the second half of the year, which takes me on to my last slide. I've set out today our agenda for the future, my priorities and the strong foundations on which our plans are based. We want to become Britain's leading house builder with a great reputation for outstanding value, quality and service. Thanks to Persimmon's extraordinarily strong foundations, I believe that we are well placed to achieve our ambition and grow the business whilst maintaining our financial strengths. Turning to outlook, the year has started strongly, underpinned by a record order book, But COVID is still with us and continues to affect production. What's more, the mini boom we saw at the end of last year meant Now we have worked through our outlets faster than we thought, meaning that sales this year, whilst expected to be up on last, I'll likely to remain below where we would like them to be. Our volume expectations are for the first half of twenty twenty one To be approaching that, we achieved in the first half of twenty nineteen and for the second half To be broadly similar, next year, we want to get back to where we were pre COVID in 2019. Thereafter, in 'twenty three, Assuming stable market conditions, we want to have set the stage for growth with our capabilities firmly established to do this at a consistently high build quality. We've also said in our statement today That we will be paying a higher permanent dividend of 125p in March and expect to pay the surplus cash dividend Of 110p by the end of the year, subject to market conditions in the second half. Looking to the future, the Board has committed To the higher permanent dividend announced today and I'm sure we'll always be committed to returning surplus capital subject to the investment needs of the business, which in the context of this year means a land spend of around £500,000,000 As I said at the start, I've been hugely impressed by Persimmon's great assets, and I look forward to building on them to make the company bigger and better, ensuring sustainable growth for all. Thank you.