Taylor Wimpey continues upbeat trend in sector with big leap in profits

The group completed two per cent more homes last year bringing its total to 10,180.

The average selling price showed a marginal increase to £184,000.

Rivals York-based Persimmon, Barratt and Bovis all reported a similar picture over the past week with rising sales and profits.

Taylor Wimpey expects to announce operating profits of more than £88m for the second half of 2011, compared with £49.1m a year earlier.

The margin improvement comes after the group slashed build costs and bought land at cheaper prices.

While the company said it was too early to judge the market for the year ahead, it reported that the first two weeks of trading in 2012 followed the same “encouraging patterns”.

Taylor Wimpey’s Yorkshire division has opened a number of developments at Crown Gardens in Bradford, Regents Way in Wakefield, Foxfield Park in Wakefield and The Wickets in Upper Haugh.

It will soon open another development, Kensington Place in Allerton Bywater.

The new development brings the total number of sites throughout Yorkshire to 21, covering a number of major towns and cities including Sheffield, Leeds, Wakefield, York and Bradford.

Taylor Wimpey North Yorkshire recently opened Mallinson Park in Normanby.