This has been another successful year for Story Homes, in which we have celebrated further growth and multiple award wins, invested in supply chain engagement and welcomed a number of new colleagues, including graduates and apprentices.
2017 marked our 30th year in business, and we announced our ambitious plans to hand over a landmark 1,000 high quality homes in 2017/18 at more than 30 developments across the North of England.
We also retained our five-star rating for customer satisfaction from the Home Builders Federation – for the fourth year in a row – and were listed in a number of high profile league tables by The Sunday Times.
We were placed at number 75 in the 21st annual Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100, which ranks Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing sales over the last three years.
This followed on from our inclusion in a number of other league tables during 2017, including The Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250 and The Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 for the third consecutive year – breaking a record by being listed for the sixth time. We were ranked 44th, climbing up the table from a ranking of 62nd in 2016 and 87th in 2015.
Throughout the year we have been delighted to win or be shortlisted for numerous awards, including three more UK Property Awards, an Insider North East Property Award and North West Insider Awards.
These recent achievements acknowledge the rapid growth of our business, which in 2016/17 saw the delivery of 807 legal completions. Our turnover for 2016/17 was circa £174m – an increase from £123m in 2015/16.
Chief Executive, Steve Errington, said: “I am very pleased that our success is being recognised, especially as it is down to the hard work and contribution of the talented people who work at Story Homes that the business has been able to grow so much and so quickly, while not compromising on build quality or our customer experience.
“In 2016/17 we delivered our highest-ever number of new homes and recruited nearly 200 new colleagues – all whilst retaining our five-star rating for customer satisfaction from the Home Builders Federation – and we are on track to deliver a landmark 1,000 homes in 2017/18. I am looking forward to leading the business as we aim towards exceeding our targets and expanding into new regions in the near future.”
In the last 12 months we have welcomed nearly 200 new employees – a record number – particularly in the North West which has proved to be a fast-growing region for us. We also recruited 12 apprentices and four graduates as part of our ongoing commitment to investing in young talent. Our future growth plan will be supported with the recruitment of a further 56 new employees.
In addition to our colleagues, our supply chain has played a vital role in our growth and success. In recognition of this, we launched a supply chain engagement programme and began running events and offering training for our subcontractors to help them to grow their businesses. We are pleased to say that our plans to deliver 1,000 homes will, according to figures from the Home Builders Federation, support the employment of more than 4,000 subcontractors, which will have a significant impact on the sector’s current economic and employment status.
We are looking forward to what is to come in 2018, which will see us continue our expansion and introduce exciting new technologies. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our residents, subcontractors, suppliers, partners and associates.