Eastbourne hardware shop Trend DIY is anticipating a very merry Christmas, having experienced an unexpected new lease of life following a devastating fire this year.
The shop had to close for six months after the blaze in April, but owner Harry Papadopoulos tells diyweek.net that after a total refit and re-opening on October 25 business is going in a surprising new direction.

"We have noticed new, younger customers are now coming in, and a change in the type of sales: higher value items are selling better and the spend per head has improved," he says. "We will be introducing new ranges to cater for the new customers."

The shop now has an automatic entrance door and EPOS system. "We installed LED light panels in the ceiling and pelmets, giving us a brighter and cleaner looking store, also saving on running costs," adds Mr Papadopoulos, "and the new shelving supplied by Salepoint is slightly narrower than before, resulting in wider aisles.

"We have had wonderful support from our customers," he goes on, "and their comments are that the store looks bigger and brighter. Sales have improved and we hope to be back to normal trading by the spring."