InvestmentsApr 30 2019

SJP inflows fall but assets rise

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SJP inflows fall but assets rise

St James's Place's net inflows were lower in the first three months of 2019 but its assets under management rose.

The firm attracted a net of £2.18bn in the first quarter of this year, down from the £2.6bn of inflows in the same period last year.

Total funds under management were £103.5bn at the end of March 2019, compared with £89.9bn for the same period in 2018, an increase of 8 per cent, with markets returns contributing positively.

The area of the business that attracted the greatest level of net inflows in cash terms was pensions, with £1.49bn of new money, while the biggest increase in percentage terms came from the unit trust, Isa and discretionary fund management arm, which, with £600m of net new money, grew by over 6 per cent.

Of this £600m, £110m of net inflows came from the Rowan Dartington business owned by St James Place, which has £2.5bn of assets under management.

The assets under management of the Rowan Dartington business were £2.09bn at the end of March 2018.

Andrew Croft, SJP's chief executive, said: "Whilst uncertainty will inevitably impact investor sentiment from time to time, it does not change the long-term needs of individuals. There remains both a growing market for trusted face-to-face advice in the UK and an advice gap that represents a major opportunity for us.

"Given the scale and quality of the St James's Place Partnership we are confident of both the resilience of the business in more difficult times and our ability to continue to grow the business over the medium to long term."

david.thorpe@ft.com