Rightway Bevan has opened its largest store to date at Chester, and is using the extra space to make a move into the wallcoverings market for the first time.
Managing director David Clarke told DIY Week: "We have a large range of wallpaper, and a new range of wall art to complement it, and we have also listed the Walltastic children's murals. Most of the rest is an extension of existing stock lines; Gardman, for instance, now occupies a 10m run of fixtures rather than 3-4m in most stores. And in paint we have a 29m run of Crown and Dulux, plus pallet stacks for whites. The idea is that we can make stronger, bold statements on products to say 'we do this and we do it well, both on range and price'."

The look of the 7,500sq ft store is still on the soft side, Mr Clarke added. "We have kept the fixtures low to make the store more open, which many women shoppers prefer. And we still have knitting wool and sand and cement - although not side by side!"