Essential reading for retailers and suppliers in the home improvement market

News Archive April 2018

Trago Mills opens mega store in Merthyr Tydfil 27 April 2018

South West discount retailer, Trago Mills, opened its brand new £65million mega store in Merthyr Tydfil last on Saturday. The store, which opened on April 21, is Trago’s first-ever Welsh location and its first site outside Cornwall and Devon ...


B&Q welcomes EU ban on pesticides 27 April 2018

The European Union has voted to bring in a total ban on the outdoor use of three of the world’s most widely-used insecticides, due to the risk they pose to the bee population. DIY and garden chain B&Q has come out in support of the decision ...


Hillier set for Chelsea 'first' with Royal Wedding installation 27 April 2018

Hillier Garden Centres will make history, as the family-run business looks set to create a special display at the entrance of the Grand Pavilion at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. It is the first time the Royal Horticultural Society has ever ...


Struggling Bunnings UK and Ireland continues its downward slope 26 April 2018

Wesfarmers Limited today announced its retail sales results for the third quarter of the 2018 financial year, reporting a hit from Bunnings UK and Ireland (BUKI) due to adverse weather conditions. Managing Director Rob Scott said the sales ...


Hanging basket masterclass at Squire’s to best Easter washout 26 April 2018

Squire’s Garden Centres are running its very popular “Large Summer Hanging Basket” planting masterclass on Friday May 18 at 10am and 2pm.Hanging baskets can make a real statement in your garden and Squire’s gardening experts will show you how to ...


Akzo Nobel completes separation of specialty chemicals 24 April 2018

Akzo Nobel N.V. has publushed its results for the first quarter 2018, having successfully completed the dual-track process for the separation of Specialty Chemicals; AkzoNobel to sell Specialty Chemicals to The Carlyle Group and GIC for €10.1 ...


Planning application submitted for new Bunnings store in Ashford 23 April 2018

Bunnings UK and Ireland (BUKI) has opened three stores in Kent since its acquirement of Homebase in February 2016, with stores in Thanet, Sittingbourne and Folkestone. Despite an unscheduled review of BUKI by parent company Wesfarmers in February, ...


Garden centres hope for better weather after Easter washout 20 April 2018

Garden centres across the country were affected by the bad weather during the early Easter break (March, 2018) according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Barometer of Trade (BoT) report.Compared to the same month last year (2017) sales in ...


New distribution centre for B&Q in Swindon to create 100 new jobs 20 April 2018

Kingfisher plc, the international home improvement company, has signed contracts on a new B&Q distribution centre (DC) in Swindon. The new site will improve efficiencies within the B&Q supply chain, enabling it to maximise product ...


March footfall is the steepest year on year fall since 2010 says BRC 17 April 2018

Year-on-year, footfall in March decreased by 6%, a substantial decline compared to the positive rate of 1.3% seen for March 2017 and the steepest year on year fall since the end of 2010. The 12-month average is -1.4%.There was no growth in Footfall ...


Gardman announces move back to old warehouse after fire at Daventry 17 April 2018

Garden products supplier, Gardman, has released a service update reporting it has fully operationalisted its previous site in Kings Lynn following a fire that destroyed the company's new warehouse in Daventry where more than 50 firefighters were ...


63% of homeowners admit to not knowing where to start with DIY tasks, says YouGov 13 April 2018

A new survey from YouGov, on behalf of John Lewis Home Solutions, has found that the nation's homeowners are turning to tradespeople to carry out even the most basic DIY tasks rather than attempting it themselves. 78% said they would use a trusted ...


Carpetright announces it will close 92 stores 12 April 2018

Carpetright is today announcing a proposal to address its legacy property issues and reduce the size of its UK property estate and rental cost base by the implementation of a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).The directors of the company have ...


Fire at Strikes garden centre has "destroyed most of the centre" 9 April 2018

A huge fire broke out at Strikes Garden Centre in Stokesley on Friday evening (April 6), causing massive damage to the majority of the centre. Fire crews were called at 21:20 BST on Friday, with eight fire engines and 40 firefighters attending at ...


Spring gathering for Independents 6 April 2018

The sun shined down on Independent retailers as they came together at Morris Mica in Alcester on Sunday for the first of two Spring Mica Co-operative Meetings.The meetings follow on from well attended visits to two Gold Award winners Halls Mica in ...


Gender pay gap in the DIY and Garden industry revealed 5 April 2018

Today marks the deadline for businesses to submit a report with their gender pay gap figures, which has since revealed that the average pay gap in the UK is 18.4% in favour of men.The gender pay gap is not the same as having unequal pay, which would ...


53% of retailers admit "always on" sales are damaging profits 5 April 2018

New research from payments provider Klarna, shows that retailers are under increasing pressure to discount to keep up with competition and rising customer expectations.Discounting is no longer confined to the traditional winter and summer sales, the ...


Bunnings Warehouse opens new store in Somerset 4 April 2018

Home improvement and garden retailer Bunnings Warehouse officially opened its doors in Frome today (4 April).The new store is 47,000 square feet and offers customers a wide range of global market-leading brands. Other services include everything ...


Heavy rain negatively impacted retail footfall for Easter Weekend 4 April 2018

According to Springboard, shoppers have still been visiting retail destinations this Easter Weekend, despite rain across much of the UK.While rain impacted the high streets, where footfall was noticeably down (by -9.6% on Friday and by -6.9% on ...


Topps Tiles report a 0.6% rise in like-for-like revenue 4 April 2018

Tile specialist Topps Tiles Plc, has announced a trading update for the 26 week period ending 31 March 2018. The Board will announce interim results for the period on 22 May 2018.Total revenues for the 26 week period were £109.4 million (2017: £106....


Bunnings' potential plans to exit UK unfold 3 April 2018

Bunnings UK and Ireland (BUKI) has reportedly re-thought its $705 million acquisition of Homebase after just two years of its conversion plan as Australian owners, Wesfarmers, look to potentially selling the operation to a UK buyer.The news comes ...


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