In the first six months of this year, the John Lewis Partnership achieved a "robust" sales growth with gross sales recorded at £4.73bn, a rise of 7.3% against the same period last year. The company's profit took a blow, however, due to a large payout of missed holiday payments. 

Notcutts has announced that it is in talks to sell its Horningsea, near Cambridge, garden centre to Scotsdales. 

Speedy, the provider of equipment rental and support services to the construction industry, has consolidated its three Liverpool stores for the launch of a new superstore in the city. 

The heatwave in recent months gave Kingfisher's businesses the boost it needed after a difficult first quarter and resulted in a fairly flat performance across the board. 

Entry to Cultivation Street, the nationwide competition launched by television gardener David Domoney to find Britain's best floral street, is now closed. 

Consumer confidence is on the up - but far more households are worried now about their finances than they were a year ago. 

Screwfix has launched its first show dedicated to trade and DIY, 'Screwfix Live', with more than 120 suppliers exhibiting at Farnborough Five this month. 

Poundland has been given the go-ahead to build a new-state-of-the-art distribution centre in Harlow, Essex. 

A Worcestershire B&Q store suffered tens of thousands of pounds' worth of damage during a burglary last week. 

A West Midlands ironmonger's has closed its doors for the last time, having been trading for more than 100 years. 

Homebase has launched an innovative online shopping initiative offering customers deals on specially selected products, the final price being determined by the number of people who sign up to the deal. 

Multi-award-winning Devon garden centre Fermoy's has kick-started plans for a major re-development and expansion of its business. 

The owner of a Cheshire garden centre on the brink of losing both her business and her home because of a new roundabout has described the situation as "heartbreaking". 

Exhibitors at next week's Glee will be able to book a 10-minute 'speed dating' slot with one of a range of buyers, thanks to a new GIMA initiative. 

The Garden Centre Group has acquired Cheddar and Lechlade Garden Centres from the Park Garden Centres company in the west country. This now brings the total number of the Group's outlets to 132. 

Neil Gow announced today that he will be stepping down as director of the Garden Industry Manufacturers' Association in the New Year. 

Home Retail Group announced today that its chief executive, Terry Duddy, has informed the board of his intention to step down from the role by the next AGM on July 2 next year. 

The Oak Furniture Land chain has found itself in trouble with the ad watchdog again, this time for failing to prove that promotional prices were genuine reductions. 

AkzoNobel Decorative Coatings is the latest DIY sector company to join the British Home Enhancement Trade Association. 

UK retail sales in August were up 1.8% on a like-for-like basis compared with August 2012, while total sales saw a 3.6% increase in the same period, according to the BRC-KPMG's latest Retail Sales Monitor.