A trade association is offering members the a new credit insurance scheme to help traders battling against the recession. 

Research by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health in Wales has found the potentially lethal E.coli in water used for ornamental fountains in garden centres. 

Former US president pays visit to Elliot’s Hardware in Dallas, Texas after the chain offered him a job as a greeter. 

The Builders Merchant Federation has attacked a system which allows the big DIY sheds to sell 'loss leading' loft insulation. 

In figures released today the Office of National Statistics said sales volume in the three months November to January rose by 1.5% compared with the previous three months. 

Luke Mayhew has been appointed to succeed Sir Geoff Mulcahy as chairman of the British Retail Consortium (BRC). 

In its Q4 trading statement, released this morning, B&Q parent company Kingfisher announced a like-for-like sales decline of 5.5% for the quarter across the business - a less dramatic fall than some analysts had been predicting. 

Travis Perkins group operating profits fell 15.1% to £271.5m from last year's £319.9m despite cuts to staff numbers and reducing expansion targets. 

ASDA the supermarket chain owned by Walmart has announced like for like sales growth for its fourth quarter was up 7.2%. 

A council has given the green light to plans for a garden centre to more than double in size. 

Slow bookings by independents and the need to create a better buzz will see this year's Glee show take place in less than half the number of halls it did in 2008. 

Ambiente Italia - the international trade fair organized by Messe Frankfurt Italia- will be held from 6 to 8 June 2009 in Rome. 

Louise Young to take up role next month following the departure of current Emap md Alison Jackson. 

A former Woolworth's store manager has bought her old branch and intends to reopen it under the new Wellworths brand. 

The six year deal will see npower provide M&S with 2.6TWh of renewable electricity from April 2009 - enough to ultimately power all of the retailer's stores and offices in England and Wales. 

Organisers of kbbreview EXPO, which was due to run at London's Excel on May 10-12 have announced the show is to be postponed. 

The Builders Merchants Federation has reported merchants are being hit "extremely hard" by recession according to their latest figures. 

Topps Tiles has announced that a credit insurance company has withdrawn cover to its suppliers. 

Consumers are becoming more self-reliant when it comes to jobs around the home. 

The designer Elspeth Gibson is launching a new collection of homeware exclusively for Tesco.