Henry Boot-owned housebuilder on track for 220 completions

Henry Boot’s housebuilding remains on track to build up to 220 homes as it continues to integrate into its parent business.

The land promotion and development business announced in December 2024 its plans to acquire the 50% share of Stonebridge Homes that it did not already own.

In a trading update issued to coincide with Henry Boot’s AGM today, it said the Leeds-based housebuilder had “implemented its reset plan and is increasingly integrated into the group”.

It said customer demand had been “resilient” but “softened” in recent weeks, with an overall net private reservation rate equivalent to last year at 0.41 for the 18 weeks to 17 May 2026.

Stonebridge is now 58% forward sold for 2026 and is on track to deliver home completions between 200 and 220.

Alongside its trading update, Henry Boot announced that it had appointed a new managing director for its development business, HBD.

Hamer Boot joined HBD in 2013 from CBRE, and has since held several roles, most recently as executive director for investment and funding.

In December 2025, he assumed day-to-day responsibility for leading HBD’s strategic board, reporting directly to chief executive Tim Roberts, who is set to step down at the end of this year.

“Hamer has made a significant contribution to the success of HBD over a long period of time and has shown strong leadership qualities since assuming the day-to-day running of the business last December,” said Roberts.

Henry Boot’s trading update said that all of its businesses had started the year well, but that there had been “early signs” that the Middle East conflict was “affecting confidence levels”.

“Buyers are generally more considered in their approach, and larger transactions in particular are taking longer to complete,” it said, adding that there was “some evidence” of cost inflation driven by energy price rises.

It said HBD was experiencing “healthy levels of demand”, with take up for industrial and logistics space in the first quarter up 8% year-on-year. It noted “encouraging occupier interest” in its pipeline, particularly FREEPORT 36 in Goole, where it secured outline planning consent for a 5.5m sq ft manufacturing and logistics park in January 2026.

Hallam Land exchanged on 465 plots, with a further 2,181 plots under offer across five sites. The business has a target of submitting a further 10,000 plots for planning permission this year.

The group said its financial performance would be “weighted heavily towards the second half” and anticipated pre-tax profit in line with consensus expectations “assuming market conditions do not materially deteriorate”.

The company’s compilation of market consensus for 2026 profit before tax is £20.2m.

Last year, Henry Boot sold its construction arm, now called HBC, to the management of that business.