Essential reading for retailers and suppliers in the home improvement market

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Keter focusses on its people to boost wellbeing

Keter, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of home and garden products, is launching a group-wide challenge in the UK to help with employee wellbeing. Employees from both the Banbury and Redruth sites are being encouraged to take part in a ‘... 
13 May 2021

Norbord Europe is now part of West Fraser

Norbord Europe Ltd has announced that it is to join the West Fraser organisation. As one of the UK's leading engineered wood panel manufacturers and serving the housebuilding and construction industry with a vast array of board products for ... 
12 May 2021

HALF of UK tradespeople experience mental health problems due to work 

The research, commissioned for Mental Health Awareness Week (May 10th-16th) by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, found that nearly three in five (58%) experience some form of mental health problem, such as ... 
11 May 2021

Wet weather delays footfall bounce back across the UK, but Northern Ireland benefits from the reopening of retail

Latest data from retail experts Springboard reveals that footfall in UK retail destinations declined by -4.1% last week from the week before. This was largely due to a drop in activity in high streets of -6.6%, whilst in retail parks and shopping ... 
10 May 2021

Online bathroom retailer Victoria Plum announces record 46% increase in sales to £103m and ebitda up 115% to £4.5m in 20th year

Online bathroom retailer Victoria Plum has announced that its sales rose by a record 46 per cent to £103m for the year ended 28 February 2021.In addition, the Doncaster, South Yorkshire, headquartered business saw its EBITDA increase by 115 per cent ... 
10 May 2021

Pretty shades of grey

Grey looks to be the colour of the summer according to new research by eco paint specialists Thorndown Paints. Analysis of sales of their 2.5-litre tins of exterior wood paint reveal nine spots in the top 20 are taken up by grey shades, followed ... 
10 May 2021

Online retailer eSpares launches customer video consultations to tap up bricks-and-mortar specialists

eSpares, the UK’s leading online parts store for home appliances, has announced a new partnership with technology provider ConferWith. The partnership will provide customers with real time advice from experts over live video as they browse online. ... 
10 May 2021

Lockdown triggers 'Generation Renovation', with two fifths of homeowners looking to upgrade their homes

The pandemic has made many homeowners reconsider their living environment as they’ve been told to stay at home for the best part of a year. It’s clear that renovations are high on the priority list as two fifths (41%) of homeowners have plans to ... 
5 May 2021

Hartley Botanic recognised with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise as their English, handmade glasshouses boom overseas

Heritage Glasshouse and Greenhouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic has been recognised in this year’s prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for its work growing sales of its English, handmade structures abroad.The Lancashire-based, 83 year old ... 
4 May 2021

Completion of demerger and admission of shares in Wickes

Wickes has announced the completion of the demerger of Wickes from Travis Perkins plc (“Travis Perkins”) following the General Meeting of Travis Perkins shareholders on 27 April who approved the demerger.The shares of Wickes were admitted at 8.00am ... 
30 April 2021

One in five UK tradespeople believe they’ll need to work beyond state pension age

The study*, conducted by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, surveyed 500 tradespeople about their plans for retirement and found that a large proportion are pessimistic about their chances of finishing work when ... 
29 April 2021

Leading decorating and DIY specialist to open new Fulham store

A growing decorating and DIY specialist is continuing its expansion by opening a new store in Fulham North.Leyland SDM will cut the ribbon on its latest store, on 373-375 North End Road SW6 1NP, on Monday (May 3). It is the fourth new Leyland SDM ... 
28 April 2021

Dulux Decorator Centre partners with Good Guys Decorating to transform even more lives

Dulux Decorator Centre is helping a decorator support more of the most vulnerable members of his community - through a new partnership. Good Guys Decorating, established by Cyle Carth from Wandsworth, South London, has transformed the lives of ... 
27 April 2021

World renowned DIY retail guru John W. Herbert turns 80

John W. Herbert, General Secretary of the European DIY Retail Association (EDRA) and the Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN), with its headquarters in Cologne, Germany, has had the opportunity to visit 53 countries with over 400 trips since he co-... 
26 April 2021

Entries for the DIY Week Awards 2021 close on Friday!

The DIY Week Awards – a leading scheme for the recognition of excellence from across the DIY, home improvement and garden sectors, organised by DIY Week publisher Datateam Business Media – is back for 2021 and the entry deadline is this Friday 30 ... 
26 April 2021

Local house builders need land to unlock new generation of self-builders, says FMB

The ‘Help to Build’ fund announced on Friday 23 April will help a new generation of people build their own home, but small to medium-sized (SME) house builders need access to more small sites to help make their dreams a reality, according to the ... 
26 April 2021

Kingspan agrees investment partnership with H2 Green Steel

Kingspan, the global leader in advanced insulation and building envelope solutions, has announced an investment in H2 Green Steel (‘H2GS’), a company pioneering new green production methods for steel manufacturing using hydrogen. Kingspan is ... 
26 April 2021

AkzoNobel voluntarily returns full £2.8 million of UK government’s furlough funding

AkzoNobel has voluntarily decided to return the full £2.8 million received through the UK government Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS), also known as furlough. The emergency employment support scheme was set up by the UK government in 2020 to ... 
23 April 2021

GARDENA honoured with Red Dot Design Awards 

The GARDENA ClickUp! range, the RollUp range of wall-mounted and garden hose boxes as well as the new robotic lawnmower SILENO minimo have been awarded the highly coveted Red Dot Design Award 2021. One handle, a whole host of possibilities. The ... 
22 April 2021

Homebase goes big on going small

Homebase has ramped up the rollout of its small-format stores with the opening of a new high street shop in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. In a show of its belief in the future of the British high street, Homebase has added a Kitchens by Homebase to an ... 
22 April 2021
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