Vast swathes of the real estate industry are in need of a “radical rethink”, experts have warned, after firms issued five times as many profit warnings in 2020 than the previous year.

FTSE-listed companies issued 30 profit warnings last year, according to EY’s analysis – the highest total ever recorded in the 22-year history of the auditor’s annual Profit Warnings Report.

The surge in profit warnings comfortably outstripped other sectors, with energy companies recording a 138% year-on-year increase, and consumer staples and consumer discretionary rising 136% and 115% respectively.

Analysts said the retail property sector had been hit particularly hard, with the industry already locked in battle over its future before the pandemic dramatically slashed tenants’ revenues.

By contrast, they added, other sub sectors were resilient through the year. The housing market bounced back quickly after the first coronavirus lockdown, while UK warehouse investment hit a record high in 2020, as consumers ordered more products online than at any other point in history.

Fraser Greenshields, EY’s UK and Ireland corporate finance leader, said: “Across several sectors, many companies are beginning to suffer a cash crisis and they are under severe stress, if not distress.

“There is no doubt that there will be increased restructuring within real estate this year, as many borrowers are running out of money. In the long-term, the industry needs a radical rethink.

“For retail, this could mean sweeping away superfluous outlets and putting something else in its place. Being transformative, forward-thinking and agile will see the best results for the industry.”