Britam to increase focus on serviced apartments after profits fall

Insurance firm Britam Holdings is to ramp up activity in the serviced apartment sector.

The company's profits before tax fell by more than half in the last six months. The listed firm said its pre-tax profits dipped 55.4 per cent from Sh2.87 billion to Sh1.28 billion as at June 30, 2017.

Net profits dropped to Sh995.09 million, a 44.06 per cent fall from Sh1.78 billion recorded over a similar period last year.

The firm's group managing director Benson Wairegi attributed the drop to economic instability and political interference in a number of their regional markets.

To grow its revenue, the firm has announced plans to invest more of its attention on the serviced apartment projects that it broke ground on at a cost of Sh3.3 billion in May this year.

Wairegi said that within the next five to 10 years, the company "intends to execute their real estate plans that will help accommodate the increasing number of investors flocking the country especially after the stability which preceded the general elections".

View all Articles

“I’ve had a wonderful day here because we are seeing a good mix of segments here from across real estate – developers, short-term rental operators, hotel operators, coliving and student housing operators. So it’s been great to meet people from and learn about different industries – I think that’s been really valuable.”

Athul Mohan, market manager, MEA and Asia, and global franchise partnerships, Pricelabs

Subscribe and keep up-to-date