B&Q and Screwfix's parent group Kingfisher has appointed insurance broker Trade Direct as the sole supplier and administrator of tools and public liability insurance for its customers. 

Decco has appointed former Dobbies head of buying Neil Fishlock to take on the role of supplier relations manager. 

East Anglian discount chain Thingmebobs has been bought by QD Stores for an undisclosed sum. 

Following its acquisition of garden care manufacturer Doff Portland in December 2012, 151 Products is implementing a restructuring plan to save the family-run firm from insolvency. 

Tile and flooring retailer Topps Tiles has revealed a 1.6% sales increase like-for-like for the 13 weeks ending December 29, 2012. 

Recently named the country's top homewares retailer, Dunelm Mill has posted sales growth of 13% for the 26 weeks ending December 29, 2012 - but chief executive Nick Wharton has warned the momentum could be difficult to maintain during the second half. 

The authorities have ordered the withdrawal from the market of a glue gun that is liable to give users an electric shock. 

Gardening company Gardman recently announced its successful completion of a financial restructuring within the group. 

Visitors to Frankfurt's Christmasworld will find an expanded range of candles and room fragrances when the fair opens at the end of this month. 

A Hampshire garden centre is hoping that a public inquiry this spring will override opposition to a relocation of the business. 

Sterling Locks diverted its Christmas card energies this year to charity, sending instead a donation to the Rainy Day Trust. 

White goods retailer DRL, owner of the Appliances Online website, has seen sales soar 28% to £207.3m during its last financial year, and has recently emerged as a bidder for Comet's online brand. 

The DIY and gardening retail sector is set to grow 3.3% in 2013, making it the strongest category for projected growth in retail, according to a new report by Verdict and SAS UK. 

For the first time in the Haskin Garden Centre group's 39 years of trading, turnover exceeded £4million during the month of December. 

BDC Electrical Distribution Ltd - formerly known as BDC 2008 and Bridisco - is back on form 18 months after entering administration. 

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) recently welcomed Defra's announcement of the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) in England and Wales. 

John Poore, MD of Poore's of Acton, was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to charity in the new year honours list. 

Doors supplier Home Decor has started the new year in a brand new home - Woodhouse Mill in Sheffield. 

It was not a very merry Christmas for Notcutts Garden Centres after ram-raiders drove a stolen Mitsubishi pick-up truck into the sliding glass doors of the company's Cranleigh centre, causing £10,000 worth of damage. 

Off the back of a year which saw 194 retail insolvencies, up 6% on 2011, early indications are that Christmas trading in 2012 was "reasonable but not spectacular" according to business advisory firm Deloitte.