Homebase has announced it is cutting 303 jobs at its Milton Keynes head office after Bunnings parent Wesfarmers agreed to divest the Homebase business to Hilco Capital for just £1 in May, as it said the “risks associated with a turnaround don’t ...

DIY giant B&Q has responded to Wickes' announcement that it is "targeting 900 B&Q colleagues" in a bid to bolster its expanding kitchen and bathroom team. Despite Wickes settings its sights on "acquiring design consultants and installers" ...

Wickes is investing significantly in its professional kitchen and bathroom offer by acquiring design consultants and installers from B&Q, as its rival pulls plug on installation services in the category.Wickes says it is bucking the ...

The struggling flooring retailer posted pre-tax losses of £70.5million for the year ended April 28 and says trading at the start of the new financial year was impacted the ongoing CVA and withdrawal of some suppliers, leading to stock shortages....

Online tile retailer, Tile Mountain opened its second showroom at the weekend – a 10,000sq ft unit in Stockport – with more such outlets in the pipeline following the success of its first-ever bricks-and-mortar location in Tunstall ...

Garden centres across the country reported a boost to trading last month and record results, thanks to the good weather and two Bank Holidays, with core gardening categories seeing double-digit growth ...

House of Fraser has announced today that the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposals launched on 6 June 2018 have been approved by the companies’ creditors.The creditors’ meetings for House of Fraser (Stores) Limited and House of Fraser ...

The Hereford-based nursery said it had the best May ever in its recorded trading history, with sales up by 14% for the month. Wyevale, which supplies into garden centres accross the UK, also reported year-on-year (2017-18) growth of 17% in shrub sales and ...

Concerned about possible barriers to trade, the British Coatings Federation (BCF) and CEPE, the European association representing paints and inks, have pledged to continue their close working relationship beyond Brexit and have set out the terms ...

Akzo Nobel has announced that downloads of its Visualizer decorating app has surpassed the 20 million mark, attributing its success to "giving people the simple pleasure of making confident colour choice". The award-winning digital colour tool was ...

Feedback from the annual international event was overwhelmingly positive, say organisers, as the sixth Global DIY Summit came to a close in Barcelona last week. A record of 1,100 delegates from 55 countries attended this year’s congress, including ...

Visitors to the HTA National Plant Show has voted Rose ‘Timeless Purple’ from Whartons Roses as Best in Show at the New Plant Awards. The Visitor Vote Award proved extremely popular and with over 100 entries for visitors to choose from.The rose is ...

The financial services provider is partnering with selected companies within the Travis Perkins Group to launch a new range of co-branded business credit cards that offer customers extended interest-free periods on payments. The rollout of the new ...

Habitat will open two new stand-alone stores this autumn – one in Westfield London this September, followed by another in Brighton’s busy town centre in October.Sainsbury’s, which acquired Habitat in September 2016, is investing £1.5 million in the ...

Retailers reported a year-on-year (YOY) increase of 19.4% in online sales, continuing a stellar year for the retail channel, with garden amongst the strongest-performing sectors. While the sun was shining on the high street last month, internet ...

Firefighters tackled a blaze at an independent hardware store in the centre of Farnborough yesterday, where a woman was treated for smoke inhalation.Firefighters from Rushmoor, Basingstoke and Surrey tackled a fire on the ground floor of Farnborough ...

Amazon has announced the launch of Home Services in the UK. Customers buying more than 4 million products on Amazon.co.uk, ranging from TVs and household appliances to garden furniture and exercise equipment, can now schedule installation or ...

The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) is a finalist in the Trade Association Forum (TAF) 2018 Awards.  The association has been shortlisted in the Marketing Campaign of the Year category for its inaugural National Home Improvement ...

Jewson has revealed the five finalists in its Trade Hero category of Building Better Communities awards. After being selected by a panel of industry judges, the shortlist now needs public votes to be in with a chance of winning up to £50,000 in ...

The Garden Industry Manufacturer's Association (GIMA) has announced that TV, film and stage actor Stephen Mangan will compered its annual awards event this year. Best known for his role as Sean in the hit transatlantic comedy series Episodes, and as ...

Leading indoor plant pot manufacturer, Scheurich GmbH & Co KG has received backing from German private investors, the Bavaria Industries Group AG (Baikap) to acquire Deroma, the world‘s leader in terracotta pottery. The company, located in the ...

The Manchester office of national law firm Shoosmiths has advised on a rescue deal for a flooring business with more than 20 stores across the country.Taylor Grange Retail Limited, a new business set up by the owner of long-standing client, property ...

Kingfisher, the international home improvement company, has announced that the recently opened Peterborough Screwfix store will be the first in its estate to be net zero in its energy usage. The news comes as Kingfisher publishes its annual ...

Dormole, the privately-owned business that owns Toolbank, has increased its investment in the Irish market by purchasing 100% of the share capital of Tucks O’Brien Ltd (TOB) and Tucks Fasteners & Fixings Ltd (QFF ) – the leading tools and ...

Discount chain Poundworld has become the latest high street name to fall into administration after attempts to restructure the business have failed.Deliotte restructuring partners Daniel Butters and Clare Boardman have, today, been appointed as ...

Sales at garden centres across the country were up and down during April, according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Barometer of Trade (BoT) report. Outdoor plant sales remained down at -12.73% compared with the same month last year but ...

B&Q has entered into a consultation process with 700 employees as a result ofnew plans to simplify the buying process within kitchens & bathrooms, including scrapping its Homefit installation service.The DIY giant has proposed to change the ...

New research revealed that nearly three quarters (72%) of UK consumers want the government to do more to back the growth of smaller, independent retailers. According to a YouGov poll of GB consumers, 42% said they would consider shopping with an ...

A Recipe for Growth’ was the theme of this year’s HTA Catering Conference, held on 5 and 6 June, in the new venue of the beautiful Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The two-day event and exhibition provided a great forum for looking at opportunities and ...

Despite numerous CVAs and branch closure plans on the high street, stores offering convenience and a destination shopping experience will continue to provide value for retailers, as online sales grow. Stores are still a key part of the multichannel ...

UK upholstery manufacturer, Ultra Furniture Ltd, appointed administrators yesterday, resulting in 160 job losses, following news that its biggest customer, Tesco Direct is set to close this summer.Steven Muncaster of Duff & Phelps, was ...

British greenhouse and glasshouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic has been awarded the best tradestand accolade at RHS Chatsworth Flower for its ‘tropical Britain’ tradestand. Key to the Lancashire manufacturer’s success has been its single-minded ...

Online retail giant set to create more than 2,500 permanent jobs in the UK this year in order to meet increasing customer demand and an ongoing expansion of products and services. The new additions will grow Amazon’s total permanent workforce in the ...

Flooring specialist, Carpetright has secured shareholder approval for emergency plans to keep the business trading using money raised through a conditional placing. The placing and open offer, which took place on June 5, raised around £60million. ...

The sunshine brought shoppers out in force in May, as consumer expenditure rose significantly during May, peaking over the early Bank holiday, with garden centres recording a year-on-year increase of 50.3% over the weekend, whilst spending in DIY ...

Latest figures reveal that retailers have seen an average increase of 4% in shoplifting incidents in the past year, with over 370,000 offences reported in 2017-18.Overall, a total of 378,725 shoplifting incidents were recorded in the UK during the ...

The John Lewis Partnership today announced that it has acquired Opun, which manages home improvement projects on behalf of customers. The acquisition will strengthen the retailer’s position in the home services market while also complementing its ...

DIY Wholesaler Wilsons of Colchester has announced it has acquired Westbrook & Thompson, the South London wholesaler of household hardware and DIY products who has been established since 1919, offering products and service to retailers and trade ...

Yesterday’s announcement that Al Manna Group would be scrapping the resurrected BHS website demonstrates that UK department stores, can only survive by employing a multi-channel sales approach that incorporates both high street shops and a website, ...

Irish inventor Jane ní Dhulchaointigh and her team have been nominated for a European Patent Office (EPO) prize for creating the world's first mouldable glue.Mrs ní Dhulchaointigh is the first ever Irish finalist thanks to the putty-like, mouldable ...

Discount retailer B&M has announced a positive result in revenue despite purse strings tightening and high street retailers struggling to keep afloat.Income at B&M European Value Retail S.A. for the 53 weeks to 31 March 2018 was £3.03bn ...

Stax Trade Centres has invested in a new mobile showroom that is visiting customers’ premises to showcase its workwear range.The showroom, which is mounted on a road trailer, is a first for Stax, which supplies workwear services to a wide range of ...