With all the talk of the effects of the VAT increase on consumer spending, I notice that many retailers are now using this as a promotional tool ('pre VAT prices held' etc.).... Read entry

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has warned that the availability of mortgage finance is set to reduce; in other words, that it is going to become even harder for house buyers to get a mortgage than it is already. Bad news for anyone trying to buy a house; bad news for anybody trying to sell a house; and bad news for anyone whose business is affected by the housing market. DIY retailers, for instance. ... Read entry

Those clever people at KPMG have warned us that some retailers may use next month's VAT increase as an opportunity to mask price increases. Well – as I gather young people say these days – duh.... Read entry

Predictably, most coverage of last week's quarterly trading statement from Kingfisher has been from the investor's point of view. But even if you're not a Kingfisher shareholder, the statement is worth studying, simply because the performance of the UK DIY market leader must be an indicator of the performance of the UK DIY market as a whole.... Read entry

Presumably someone at the Daily Telegraph thinks that putting business stories on a page headed 'business' is dull, because the Telegraph has led its coverage of Kingfisher's quarterly trading statement with a big picture of children tobogganing - and with the news that B&Q has ordered another 10,000 sledges.... Read entry

Am currently sat looking at my laptop in my cold living room after another four inches of snow fell overnight.... Read entry

Before all else I'd like to offer my warmest congratulations to all of our winners, both Silver and Gold, at last Thursday's Britain's Best Retailer Awards. As ever, it was an amazing night, with great company, food, entertainment...and wine! ... Read entry

If there's one lesson to be learned from retail, it's that nothing ever stays the same. The inexorable process of change is constant and the evidence of that is ever apparent in the pages of DIY Week.... Read entry