Wickes and Tile Giant were the poor relations within the Travis Perkins stable in the third quarter, the merchanting and retail giant said today.
The company's general and specialist merchanting divisions both recorded encouraging total and like-for-like sales growth, and the plumbing and heating division performed well too.

However, the consumer division, comprising Wickes and Tile Giant, recorded flat like-for-like sales growth in the quarter, significantly down from the 8.6% growth of the two months to June 30 2013. Neither fascia benefited from the warmer summer weather given their limited range in outdoor categories, TP said, although a continued focus on cost efficiencies partially offset the impact of weaker growth.

Overall, TP enjoyed total quarterly sales growth of 8.6% and like-for-like growth of 6.3%. General merchanting grew 13.9% on a total basis and 10.7% like-for like; specialist merchanting 12.8% total and 10.6% like-for like and plumbing and heating 6.3% total and 5.0% like-for-like.

The consumer division, though, grew total sales by just 1.6%, while like-for-likes were static.

TP said the deflationary pressure in its trade businesses, although still negative, began to ease in the quarter, but Wickes continued to experience more pronounced deflation. The group added that it foresaw no significant change in the levels of price inflation throughout the rest of the year.

TP chief executive Geoff Cooper commented: "Whilst still early in the recovery of our markets, the stronger trading conditions experienced by our merchanting businesses in particular is a reassuring indicator of improved sentiment in construction.

"The recovery in activity, signalled by us in early 2013, looks set to continue into 2014 as owners' and occupiers' construction and maintenance activity increases from the very low levels encountered over the last five years. The group is well positioned, as the leading supplier of building materials in the UK, to take advantage of this recovery."