News Archive - May 2011
Ultimate signs as Rainy Day Trust Partner 31-May-2011
Garden & Leisure Group growth plans backed by HSBC 31-May-2011
Stax buys Wishart 31-May-2011
3 comments
High street sales stable in May but growth remains subdued 27-May-2011
Locations of acquired Focus stores revealed 26-May-2011 7 comments
Dobbies and Tesco team up for first joint venture 26-May-2011
Sunshine brings sector uplifts says GfK 26-May-2011
UPDATE: Focus chain to close 25-May-2011 3 comments
More shoppers to grow their own 25-May-2011
Focus to close remaining stores 25-May-2011
Industry names out in force at Chelsea 24-May-2011
Consumer spending power takes a tumble in April 24-May-2011
Beales adds 19 stores in major expansion deal 23-May-2011
Retail sales up in April but household goods slide 20-May-2011
B&M Retail buys 11 Focus stores 20-May-2011 10 comments
John Lewis weekly sales flat, with home categories "subdued" 20-May-2011
Grosvenor raises record amount 20-May-2011
Consumer confidence down but signs of stability emerge 19-May-2011
National 'You Can Do It' rollout for B&Q 19-May-2011
Garden & Leisure teams up with Waitrose for new garden centre development 19-May-2011
Obituary: Michael Dandy 19-May-2011
B&M Retail expresses interest in Focus stores 18-May-2011
New regulations on importing plastic kitchenware 18-May-2011
DIY a job for both sexes, says new survey 18-May-2011
Wickes buys 13 Focus stores 17-May-2011 6 comments
Mary Portas to conduct review of the high street 17-May-2011 6 comments
Product of Year raises £1,800 for Rainy Day Trust 17-May-2011
D&G owner buys fifth store 17-May-2011
2011 Product of the Year Award winners announced 16-May-2011
Garden sector reports strong first quarter 12-May-2011
DIY and hardware sales see further growth 12-May-2011
Record month at Home Hardware Scotland 12-May-2011
Update from Focus administrators 11-May-2011 3 comments
Comet to cut jobs as sales fall 15% 11-May-2011
Obituary: Footprint chairman John James Jewitt 11-May-2011
CBI lowers UK growth forecast, but says exports central to recovery 10-May-2011
Outdoor DIY and garden sales boosted by Easter sunshine 10-May-2011
Sales of outdoor furniture up 400% at Ikea over Bank Holiday 9-May-2011
Q1 retail administrations see two-year high 9-May-2011
Wickes grows market share and reports 1.9% lfl sales uplift 9-May-2011 1 comment
QVC on the hunt for guest presenters 6-May-2011
B&Q to take over 31 ex-Focus stores 6-May-2011 6 comments
Pilkington's brand is back 6-May-2011
UK interest rates held at 0.5% 6-May-2011
The Range owner interested in buying Focus 6-May-2011 12 comments
Poundstretcher acquires Alworths 6-May-2011
BHETA finalises BJGF deal 6-May-2011
BHF-BSSA reveals new identity 5-May-2011 4 comments
UPDATE: Focus appoints administrators 5-May-2011 8 comments
DIY retail business lifts Grafton sales in Ireland 5-May-2011
Four out of ten Brits planned home improvements over Bank Holiday weekends 5-May-2011
Focus to enter administration 4-May-2011 8 comments
Squires buys Shoots Garden Centres 4-May-2011
Brits strive to save May Day as Bank Holiday sales soar 4-May-2011
Bank Holidays boost sales 4-May-2011
Squires to buy Shoots Garden Centres 3-May-2011
Shop price inflation edges up 4-May-2011
Silverhills Nursery victim of arson attack 3-May-2011
Confidence of UK consumer businesses lags behind global trends 3-May-2011
Ultimate Products has become the first housewares supplier to sign up for the Rainy Day Trust's new Partner package.
Garden & Leisure Group growth plans backed by HSBC 31-May-2011
HSBC Corporate Banking in Bristol to provide capital facilities to gardening chain to support in further expansion of the bus...
Stax buys Wishart 31-May-2011
Stax Trade Centres has announced the acquisition of Edinburgh-based wholesaler D F Wishart for an undisclosed sum.
3 commentsHigh street sales stable in May but growth remains subdued 27-May-2011
CBI quarterly Distributive Trades Survey reveals 4'% of retailers saw sales volumes rise in two weeks to May '6, although dur...
Locations of acquired Focus stores revealed 26-May-2011
Administrator Ernst & Young issues list of 55 stores bought by B&M Homestore, Wickes and B&Q.
7 commentsDobbies and Tesco team up for first joint venture 26-May-2011
£50m retail site in East Kilbride will feature Tesco supermarket and state-of-the-art Dobbies garden centre.
Sunshine brings sector uplifts says GfK 26-May-2011
The warmer weather has had a positive effect on many DIY and garden categories, according to the latest research from analyst...
UPDATE: Focus chain to close 25-May-2011
All Focus stock is to be liquidated and the remaining stores closed. A closing down sale started this morning.
3 commentsMore shoppers to grow their own 25-May-2011
More shoppers are planning to grow their own fruit and vegetables in the coming year, according to IGD ShopperTrack research ...
Focus to close remaining stores 25-May-2011
Administrators Ernst & Young are expected to announce today the planned closure of some '20 unsold Focus stores, putting abou...
Industry names out in force at Chelsea 24-May-2011
The likes of B&Q, Homebase, Hillier, Westland, Bulldog, Scotts and Bosch all had a presence at the famous flower show this ye...
Consumer spending power takes a tumble in April 24-May-2011
Average family £'3 a week worse off, as spending power drops 7.'% and prices increase twice as fast as incomes.
Beales adds 19 stores in major expansion deal 23-May-2011
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society has sold its chain of Westgate department stores to Beales.
Retail sales up in April but household goods slide 20-May-2011
All sectors report positive year-on-year growth except household goods, with declines in both volume and value terms.
B&M Retail buys 11 Focus stores 20-May-2011
Retail chain known as B&M Bargains has agreed to take on the leases of '' Focus stores and their employees.
10 commentsJohn Lewis weekly sales flat, with home categories "subdued" 20-May-2011
,ep'rtment store ---'in posts 0.'% s'les in-re'se for week ended M'y '4 'nd des-ribes m'rket 's ~---'llenging~.
Grosvenor raises record amount 20-May-2011
~rosvenor~~arden~Centre~in~Chester~has~broken~its~own~fundraising~record~by~collecting~a~total~of~£8,000~in~the~past~''~month...
Consumer confidence down but signs of stability emerge 19-May-2011
While confidence is still hovering slightly above recession levels, a modest two point decline in April suggests some stabili...
National 'You Can Do It' rollout for B&Q 19-May-2011
B&Q is launching nine new 'You Can Do It Centres' this weekend, following the success of the first six.
Garden & Leisure teams up with Waitrose for new garden centre development 19-May-2011
Redevelopment of Percy Thrower's Gardening Centre will see the addition of a Waitrose store on site.
Obituary: Michael Dandy 19-May-2011
Michael Dandy, former md of builders merchants chain Gibbs & Dandy, died last month aged 56.
B&M Retail expresses interest in Focus stores 18-May-2011
--ener-l merch-ndise ret-iler hopes to t-kes on le-ses of ~- h-ndful~ of properties occupied by coll-psed DIY ch-in to help w...
New regulations on importing plastic kitchenware 18-May-2011
'rom July ', imports from China and Hong Kong must carry proof that they comply with limits on the release of harmful chemica...
DIY a job for both sexes, says new survey 18-May-2011
Findings reveal that men are no longer held responsible for tackling household DIY jobs, while picking up a paintbrush is see...
Wickes buys 13 Focus stores 17-May-2011
Administrator Ernst & Young confirms it has agreed to sell up to '3 stores and transfer all associated employees to the Travi...
6 commentsMary Portas to conduct review of the high street 17-May-2011
Retail guru to lead an independent review to identify what the Government can do to tackle the issue of empty shops and devel...
6 commentsProduct of Year raises £1,800 for Rainy Day Trust 17-May-2011
Industry charity the Rainy Day Trust has received a much-needed boost of nearly £',800 thanks to the generosity of guests at ...
D&G owner buys fifth store 17-May-2011
Toby Roberts, owner of independent hardware shop chain D&G Hardware, has added the fifth store to his expanding portfolio of ...
2011 Product of the Year Award winners announced 16-May-2011
Gold and Silver accolades handed out to the host of industry names that triumphed at this year's awards event.
Garden sector reports strong first quarter 12-May-2011
The latest Garden Market Update from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) reveals a strong start to 20'', with trade ac...
DIY and hardware sales see further growth 12-May-2011
Retailers in DIY and hardware sector report uplift in Q', while furniture and floorcoverings see a return to growth.
Record month at Home Hardware Scotland 12-May-2011
Home Hardware Scotland has reported a record month for April, with turnover up by ''-------
Update from Focus administrators 11-May-2011
Ernst & Young says it has received a -fantastic level of interest- in Focus DIY, which it is looking to sell as a going conce...
3 commentsComet to cut jobs as sales fall 15% 11-May-2011
Electricals retailer Comet has seen like-for-like sales plummet '5.2% for the fourth quarter, as the company continues to str...
Obituary: Footprint chairman John James Jewitt 11-May-2011
Footprint Sheffield chairman John James (Jack) Jewitt has died, aged 87.
CBI lowers UK growth forecast, but says exports central to recovery 10-May-2011
The UK economy will continue to make headway in 20'', the CBI has predicted, but growth will remain sluggish, restrained by f...
Outdoor DIY and garden sales boosted by Easter sunshine 10-May-2011
Sales of DIY and garden products saw an uplift in April, helped by warm weather and Easter promotions, while homewares strugg...
Sales of outdoor furniture up 400% at Ikea over Bank Holiday 9-May-2011
Spurred on by the warmer weather, customers flocked to the Swedish retailer over the May Bank Holiday weekend to stock up on ...
Q1 retail administrations see two-year high 9-May-2011
Deloitte has reported the highest number of retail administrations in two years, with a 2~% increase from Q4 2~~~ to Q~ 2~~~.
Wickes grows market share and reports 1.9% lfl sales uplift 9-May-2011
Despite a tough retail climate and weak demand in kitchen and bathroom, Wickes reported a increase in like-for-like sales and...
1 commentQVC on the hunt for guest presenters 6-May-2011
Shopping channel looks to the industry for people with a passion for kitchenware and household products to star in demos.
B&Q to take over 31 ex-Focus stores 6-May-2011
Parent firm announces that it has agreed to buy up to 3' leasehold properties from administrators for £23m.
6 commentsPilkington's brand is back 6-May-2011
Former Pilkington's Tiles ceo Ray Tarr is to re-launch the brand in the British market. UK manufacturing operations, however,...
UK interest rates held at 0.5% 6-May-2011
UK interest rates have been held at 0.5% by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).
The Range owner interested in buying Focus 6-May-2011
The Range owner Chris Dawson has expressed an interest in purchasing Focus DIY, which entered into administration yesterday.
12 commentsPoundstretcher acquires Alworths 6-May-2011
Value retailer buys collapsed Alworths chain, with '5 of its stores and majority of staff to join the Poundstretcher group.
BHETA finalises BJGF deal 6-May-2011
After three years, which saw two member votes, an EGM and the resignation of the association's ceo, The British Home Enhancem...
BHF-BSSA reveals new identity 5-May-2011
Going forward the association will now be known as the British Independent Retailers Association, or Bira.
4 commentsUPDATE: Focus appoints administrators 5-May-2011
Focus DIY has entered administration, appointing Ernst & Young this morning after defaulting on its credit facility and annou...
8 commentsDIY retail business lifts Grafton sales in Ireland 5-May-2011
Woodie's DIY and Atlantic Hardware contribute 4'6% growth in parent firm's retailing operations, easing declines in Ireland i...
Four out of ten Brits planned home improvements over Bank Holiday weekends 5-May-2011
40% of British homeowners planned to carry out DIY jobs over the recent Bank Holiday weekends, according to a new survey from...
Focus to enter administration 4-May-2011
Focus DIY has said it intends to appoint Ernst & Young as administrators, suggesting reported talks between its owner Cerberu...
8 commentsSquires buys Shoots Garden Centres 4-May-2011
Family-run garden centre chain Squire's has confirmed that it has acquired Shoots Garden Centres for an undisclosed sum.
Brits strive to save May Day as Bank Holiday sales soar 4-May-2011
As garden centres and the HTA report record sales over the Bank Holiday weekends, new research finds that 78% of people in En...
Bank Holidays boost sales 4-May-2011
Retailers and suppliers have a reported a fantastic Bank Holiday fortnight with large increases in sales as consumers enjoyed...
Squires to buy Shoots Garden Centres 3-May-2011
Family-run garden centre chain acquires Shoots for undisclosed sum.
Shop price inflation edges up 4-May-2011
Shop price inflation increased marginally to 2.5% in April from 2.4% in March, as rising food inflation outweighed slowing no...
Silverhills Nursery victim of arson attack 3-May-2011
Fire at garden centre in Kibblesworth, Gateshead, which caused around £30,000 worth of damage, may have been started delibera...
Confidence of UK consumer businesses lags behind global trends 3-May-2011
UK consumer businesses expect to see their financial performance improve this year, but their confidence falls below the glob...
