Essential reading for retailers and suppliers in the home improvement market

News Archive May 2017

Rapid Discount Outlet closes for good 30 May 2017

Rapid Discount Outlet – formerly known as Rapid Hardware – is set to close up shop for good today.


Firefighters battle Wickes blaze for four hours 30 May 2017

Wickes in Worksop was the scene of a dramatic blaze earlier this month – thought to be started deliberately – as firefighters spent four hours battling flames after material outside the store ignited and spread.


B&M ploughs ahead with store openings, as profits soar 26 May 2017

B&M reported an 18% jump in profit and 20% increase in revenue to £2.4billion for the year ended March 25, when it opened 53 new sites in the UK.Group pre-tax profits soared by 18.4% to £182.9m during the year, whilst UK sales rose by the same ...


ManoMano reveals UK's DIY spending habits 24 May 2017

To mark the first International DIY Day, new European DIY online retailer ManoMano has revealed a map of the UK's top DIY habits and buys.


Screwfix leaves B&Q in the dust with stunning Q1 performance 24 May 2017

Screwfix was the star of the show once again as Kingfisher released results for its first quarter to April 30, 2017, with sales up a staggering 20.3%, a 12.6% boost like-for-like – largely outperforming all other operations including B&Q.


Topps profits drop in “challenging” second half 23 May 2017

Topps Tiles has seen its adjusted operating profit fall by 2.8% and its adjusted profit before tax drop to the tune of 1.9% year-on-year for the 26 weeks ending April 1, 2017.


Squire's in Woking to close for redevelopment 22 May 2017

Plans are underway to redevelop Squire's Garden Centres' Woking site by extending the existing shop and improving the plant area with a new outdoor canopy. There will also be a new cafe bar.


Rapid loses half its staff as store prepares for closure 22 May 2017

After the Liverpool store went into administration earlier this month, more than half the employees at Rapid Discount Outlet have lost their jobs.


Online garden centre Crocus buys first bricks and mortar store 22 May 2017

Online garden centre and supplier Crocus has bought its first bricks and mortar outlet at Dorney, near Windsor in Berkshire.


Bridgford GC gets green light for major redevelopment 18 May 2017

Bridgford Garden Centre in Nottingham is to be redeveloped by its owner Edward Tarbatt and leased to Blue Diamond on a 35-year lease. The revamped centre is due to open for trade by spring 2018 and, at more than 140,000sq ft, the development will be ...


Ikea to create 1,300 jobs by end of 2018 17 May 2017

Swedish retailer Ikea has pledged to created 1,300 new jobs by the end of 2018 and to pay all workers the Real Living Wage.


New £10m HQ for Tile Mountatin 17 May 2017

Online retailer Tile Mountain has just received a seven figure funding package to facilitate its expansion to a five acre site in Tunstall, Stoke on Trent.


Bunnings hires new Homebase boss 17 May 2017

Bunnings UK and Ireland today announced the appointment of David Haydon as trading and commercial manager for Homebase.


Retail parks market to grow by 14% by 2022 16 May 2017

According to the latest data from research and consulting firm GlobalData, the UK retail parks market is set to grow by 13.8% between 2017 and 2022.


Hare Hatch Sheeplands closes concessions as council row continues 16 May 2017

Several concession businesses have been forced to move out of Twyford-based garden centre Hare Hatch Sheeplands after an injunction was granted to Wokingham Borough Council for the business to stop “illegal trading.”


Silver win for GIMA Awards 16 May 2017

Members of the Garden Industry Manufacturer's Association (GIMA) team were delighted to be awarded silver at the inaugural Awards Awards ceremony last week.


Toolstation ranks top for customer satisfaction 15 May 2017

A recent survey conducted by Which? has ranked Toolstation as the top retailer in the country in terms of customer satisfaction and how likely they would be to recommend the retailer.


Retailers urged to make sure plants are neonicotinoid-free 15 May 2017

Wickes worker pockets almost £10k in fake refunds 15 May 2017

James Parsons, 30, was recently sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, at Reading Crown Court after pleadning guilty to stealing almost £10,000 by issuing fake refunds at Wickes in Newbury.


Suppliers out in force at BHETA forum 12 May 2017

The British Home Enhanacement Trade Association (BHETA) welcomed hundreds of delegates to its latest forum, with members keen to understand supplier opportunities of working with online retail giant Amazon and wholesaler Decco.


Hardware shop Rapid goes into administration 10 May 2017

Liverpool's Rapid Discount Outlet, which replaced Rapid Hardware back in 2013, has followed its predecessor into administration.


Thief smuggles tortoises from garden centre in his trousers 10 May 2017

Daventry garden centre Whilton Locks was recently the victim of a thief who broke into the store's tortoise enclosure and stole two baby tortoises, concealing them in his trouser pockets.


Wincanton announces new home delivery contract with Wickes 10 May 2017

British logistics company Wincanton has announced a new three-year contract with Wickes, which will see the logistics provider undertake home delivery of big and bulky items requiring specialist vehicles.


Akzo declines PPG’s offer 9 May 2017

Dutch decorative coatings giant, Akzo Nobel says it entered into discussions with US rival PPG International but that it has turned down its latest bid to buy the company because it still undervalues the company and could risk “thousands of jobs worldwide”.


B&Q flowering plants to be grown free of bee-killing pesticides 9 May 2017

B&Q today announced its flowering plant range, available from February 2018, will be grown free from all neonicotinoid pesticides.


DIY shop owner takes down hammer-wielding bank robber 8 May 2017

The 61-year-old owner of Walsall DIY has been heralded a hero after tackling a bank robber wielding a hammer at Lloyds Bank in Wednesbury.


Man fined after stealing eight wheelbarrows from B&Q 8 May 2017

A man who was caught wheeling eight wheelbarrows across the road in the early hours of the morning said that he found them abandoned by a canal and that he intended to sell them at a car boot sale.


Wrangle continues over PPG offer for Akzo 5 May 2017

US hedge fund, Elliott Advisors – an activist shareholder with a 3.25% stake in Akzo Nobel – is pushing the Dutch firm to accept the stateside takeover and suggests that Akzo’s plans to remain independent will put more jobs at risk.


Sales at Next drop 3% for first quarter 4 May 2017

Next has released results for the 13 weeks to April 29, with full price sales down 3% and total sales including markdowns down by 2.5%.


Argos helps boost Sainsbury's group sales by 12.7% 3 May 2017

Sainsbury's has announced preliminary results for the 52 weeks to March 11, 2017, with group sales at £29,112m, up 12.7% “mainly as a result of the Argos contribution.”


Hardware shop closes due to increasing internet and multiple competition 3 May 2017

The Handyman Centre in Brinsworth, Rotherham, shut up shop last weekend after 14 years, with boss Keith Foster blaming the closure on the rise of internet shopping and multiple DIY chains.


Independent opening rates continue to outstrip closures 3 May 2017

According to new figures from the Local Data Company (LDC) and British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), traditional independent retailers opened more shops than they closed in 2016 across Great Britain. 


PE firm set to buy Scotts Miracle-Gro 2 May 2017

Scotts Miracle-Gro has announced a binding offer from Exponent Private Equity LLP to acquire its international consumer business.


PPG increases bid for Akzo Nobel 2 May 2017

American paint firm PPG has made a third attempt to buy Dulux parent Akzo Nobel, putting forward a revised cash-and-stocks offer worth €26.9 billion.


Dobbies to team up with Ocado to boost online sales 2 May 2017

Dobbies is reportedly looking to boost its online sales by offering UK-wide delivery supported by Ocado's technology, software and logistics as well as using the grocer's general merchandise warehouse.


Screwfix recalls products due to potentially dangerous heat build up 2 May 2017

Kingfisher retailer Screwfix has issued an urgent recall on two of its heating products due to an issue involving heat build-up in the plug.


Glee unveils all new branding 2 May 2017

The Glee show has updated its branding and website once again as it begins to gear up for its September outing at the NEC.


Sales up 14% at Wyevale Nurseries 2 May 2017

Hereford-based Wyevale Nurseries is celebrating this month after its March sales were up by 14% compared to the same month the year before.


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