DIYWEEK.net

This Christmas will perform at least as well as last year's, and most likely better.
That's according to a survey of over 9,000 UK businesses by retail trade show Autumn Fair International, currently running at Birmingham's NEC.
The survey revealed that 59% of retailers think Christmas 2014 will be "up or up a lot" on last year, while 39% said they think it will be about the same. Only 2% think it will be down.

In addition, 57% of retailers said they think consumer confidence will grow stronger over the next 12 months, with 42% expecting it to stay about the same.

The upbeat mood is underlined by the fact that 52% of the retailers believe their business will be "strong or stronger" over the next 12 months. This is up from 40.5% of retailers saying they were optimistic about their business six months ago and from 23.8% a year ago.

Sarah McLaughlin, portfolio director of Autumn Fair International, said: "Our retail poll is becoming an important barometer for the industry and we have certainly seen confidence building over the last 12 months. This was seen in February at our sister event, Spring Fair International, where forward orders for this Christmas were very strong."