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Loozrboy

The first Irish home builder to go public in 20 years has made a healthy debut

Cairn Homes listed on the London Stock Exchange today.

Updated 16.45

THE FIRST IRISH housing developer to go public in nearly two decades gained about €20 million in value on its first day of trade.

Cairn Homes raised €400 million in a share sale ahead of its launch on the London Stock Exchange.

The home builder, which was set up last year by builder Michael Stanley and financier Alan McIntosh, had a total value of just under €430 million following the share offer after further investments from its founders and their families.

McIntosh, the company’s executive director, said it was an “important day for the Irish home-building industry”. Cairn Homes has already started construction projections in Dublin, Galway and Cork.

The successful initial public offering, raising in excess of €400 million of new equity capital, is a decisive step for Cairn Homes as we take a new and sustainable approach to building high quality new houses and apartments for our customers,” he said.

It gained another 5% on conditional trade today, when a limited number of shares can be bought and sold, adding another €20 million to its value. The company will be on the open market from Monday.

LSE2 London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange

‘Unique in Ireland’

The last Irish house-builder to list on the stock market was McInerney Holdings, which went public in late 1996.

The company was de-listed in 2010 after being put into examinership.

McInerney McInerney Holdings chairman Ned Sullivan Eamonn Farrell / Photocall Ireland Eamonn Farrell / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Cairn has said it will focus building on urban areas – including Dublin and its commuter counties – where its management expected economic trends to support demand for new houses.

Despite house prices across the country rising 15.8% over the past year, according to the latest CSO figures, there remains a chronic under-supply of new properties coming onto the market.

Building Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

That problem has been most acute in Dublin, where prices are up 20.2% for the 12 months to April.

Stanley, Cairn’s CEO, said the company’s business model was “unique in Ireland” and that would enable it to “build quality homes in areas of particular need at a time of significant under-supply.”

First published 11.19am

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17 Comments
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    Mute Dave Meagher
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    Jun 10th 2015, 11:25 AM

    Ah the circle is complete we bankrupted this country before, lets do it again.

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    Mute james comiskey
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    Jun 10th 2015, 11:36 AM

    Building more houses to meet demand Will be our ruination alright

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    Mute danielplainview
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    Jun 10th 2015, 11:41 AM

    you just cant win with some people

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jun 10th 2015, 11:42 AM

    We must build tens of thousands of homes to meet demand. One developer won’t solve anything. We have an apprenticeship shortage, skills shortage and social housing shortage.

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    Mute Dave Meagher
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    Jun 10th 2015, 11:59 AM

    Exactly were is there a demand? Outside of Dublin in most cases there is no demand for housing.

    New houses in my town are selling for 100k -150k. They can’t give them away even though they are well built and finished.
    If you think a company floating for 400 million is actually going to build houses then Jesus how naive is everyone , Hotels and conference center’s will be built by the dozen, and WHEN the company goes belly up we will have another ghost estate problem. But I’m guessing the element that actually believe we would have a soft landing in 2008 are still swallowing BS.

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    Mute John Lennox
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    Jun 10th 2015, 1:03 PM

    Not building houses is as dangerous as building too mank.

    20-25k a year is what we need at the moment.

    We have half of that.

    Look at buying or renting in many places and you’ll see the problem.

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    Mute John Lennox
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    Jun 10th 2015, 1:39 PM

    Too many mank mansions.

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Jun 10th 2015, 5:29 PM

    One new property developer/ builder entity about to enter Irish market, structured as a plc , with €400 m in equity capital, professionally run board comprised of directors who know how to assess risk, have respect for corporate governance, and with low reliance on short-term bank finance, and with access to residential sites under sensible, transparent and fair, financial arrangements with NAMA, hoping to sell on finished output at market price to a welcoming market………IMO such an entity is in with a fighting chance of cracking the nut job that is the Irish Residential Property Market.

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    Mute Spriggsy
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    Jun 10th 2015, 12:22 PM

    I thought ‘LEGO’ was Danish

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    Mute right wing
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    Jun 10th 2015, 5:43 PM

    Build and they will come they did the last time.
    They came from all over Eastern Europe to build them and of course they need somewhere to stay so we will have to build more houses and apartments and so the circle will continue. Boom boom

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    Mute Dave Meagher
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    Jun 10th 2015, 11:49 AM

    Housing, people actually think a listed company is going to build houses????. Hotel and conference centre’s will be the order of the day.

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Jun 10th 2015, 12:00 PM

    Out of interest. .. did you read the last paragraph?

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    Mute John Lennox
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    Jun 10th 2015, 1:05 PM

    What grounds have you to think that?

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Jun 10th 2015, 5:19 PM

    There seems rather be an over-supply of question marks in the comments industry.

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    Mute Michael Hayden
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    Jun 10th 2015, 6:28 PM

    Did everyone miss the fact that this company is only a year old
    Went public and made €400,000,000

    Plenty of personal investment or pure luck ???

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Jun 10th 2015, 6:49 PM

    Mainly personal investment. Says as much in the article.

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Jun 12th 2015, 12:50 AM

    Does the Lego photo mean anything lol.

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