The fortunes of German DIY and home improvement giant Praktiker mirrored those of many UK companies this spring as cold, wet weather sent a chill through sales.
The unseasonal conditions hit sales of garden products hard, and provided no relief from the sales losses incurred during a particularly cold winter. Praktiker's chief executive, Armin Burger, said that "business fell off a cliff".

Last week, B&Q revealed that the coldest UK spring for 50 years had sliced 5.6% off its like-for-like sales in the first quarter, with footfall down and outdoor products especially affected.

Gardening products deliver a quarter of Praktiker's group turnover, and this spring's performance is unlikely to help the company return to profit after 2012's 17.5m Euro loss.

The bitter spring weather has affected much of Europe and seen retail sales plunge across the board, according to Reuters. It said that Hornbach, another German DIY retailer and sister company to B&Q, had suffered the same problems as Praktiker, with sales of garden products virtually non-existent.