The continued squeeze on household budgets and a subdued housing market have been blamed for the lowest level of DIY expenditure in 15 years, as revealed by a recent report by Lloyds TSB. 

John Lewis has shrugged off last week's profits slump to announce sales of its Christmas products were showing an 11.3% week-on-week increase. 

Marks & Spencer has launched an international delivery service giving potentially millions of customers access to its home accessories range through the internet. 

Sainsbury's has, as the financial market widely predicted, announced pre-tax profits were up 13.3% to £272m. The supermarket now plans to increase the availability of its new 2,000-strong homeware line 'TU Home' launched in April this year. 

With DIY and garden retailers constantly evolving and adapting their businesses, many have looked to housewares as a way of diversifying and capturing more consumer spend. To this end, The Housewares Conference is thrilled to be able to address the subject head on at this year's conference.