Trading Statement

Taylor Woodrow PLC 27 June 2007 27 June 2007 Taylor Woodrow plc Pre-close Trading Statement Taylor Woodrow plc is issuing the following pre-close trading statement prior to its half year period end on 30 June 2007 and ahead of the expected completion of the Company's proposed merger with George Wimpey Plc on 3 July 2007. Merger of Taylor Woodrow plc and George Wimpey Plc The merger of Taylor Woodrow plc and George Wimpey Plc is an outstanding opportunity to create the UK's largest housebuilding company. The Board of Taylor Woodrow is delighted that shareholders of both companies have given the proposal their overwhelming support. Since the announcement of the merger on 26 March 2007, detailed integration work has been carried out across all divisions. As a result the new management teams and reporting structures for the combined businesses are agreed and will take effect immediately upon completion. UK Housing The UK housing market has remained stable during the first half of the year, with good buyer demand and customer confidence. Gross and operating margins for the UK housing business are showing improvement over the same period in 2006. Net reservations are in line with those achieved in the equivalent period of 2006. Site openings are on track to deliver the anticipated 5 per cent. increase in average sites over the year. We expect completions in the first half to be similar to the first half of 2006. The order book at week 24 is ahead by over 10 per cent. year on year, both by value and volume. The owned short term landbank is similar to that of last year. Further investment to increase the landbank is scheduled for the second half of the current year. North America Housing Our markets in Texas and Canada have continued to be healthy. However the housing markets in Arizona, California and Florida have remained challenging. Buyer confidence is low due to continuing concern about interest rates and the high level of housing stock. Sales rates in North America overall have declined although there is considerable variation across our key markets. Market weakness persists in California and particularly Florida, with increased levels of sales incentives required in both markets. We expect volumes in the first half of 2007 to be below the levels achieved in the first half of 2006. Due to the pressure on pricing driven by market conditions, we anticipate margins being significantly below last year excluding the effect of the previously announced exceptional items. The order book at the end of week 24 is around 45 per cent. lower in sterling value terms than the equivalent position in 2006. We continue to remain very selective about land acquisition in North America. As a consequence, the landbank at the half year will be below that at the year end. Spain & Gibraltar Housing The Mallorca and Gibraltar markets continue to be stable. Markets in mainland Spain have slowed significantly due to overcapacity and higher interest rates which have dampened demand from British buyers. Operating profits in the first half will be significantly lower than the same period in 2006. The major contributory factor to this is a significant land sale in the same period last year. Construction The Construction business continues to perform in line with expectations. Contract wins during the first half include upgrading the Docklands Light Railway in London to accommodate longer trains. Outlook In the UK, we currently anticipate less buoyant market conditions in the second half of the year, due to the impact of recent interest rate changes and the effect of these on customer confidence. However we are confident that progress on our profit enhancement plans in the UK will continue to improve underlying performance. In North America short term market conditions remain difficult to predict. The focus of the business remains on managing costs and maintaining a steady sales rate. The Board remains confident that the continuing improvement in our UK performance, as well as our ability to recover strongly from the difficult US trading conditions over the next two to three years, will deliver significant value to our shareholders. This value will be enhanced further by the strength of the combined Taylor Wimpey business in both key markets. -ends- Notes to editors: Taylor Woodrow is a housing development group. Its primary business is the development of sustainable communities of high quality homes across the UK and in selected markets in North America and Spain. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the year ending 31 December 2006 consolidated revenue increased by 3 per cent. to £3.6bn. Taylor Woodrow announced its proposed merger with George Wimpey Plc on 26 March 2007. For further information please visit the company's website - www.taylorwoodrow.com Enquiries Taylor Woodrow Jonathan Drake (Investor Relations) 0121 600 8394 / 07816 517 039 Ian Morris (Media Enquiries) 0121 600 8520 / 07816 518 767 Finsbury James Murgatroyd / Clare Strange 020 7251 3801 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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