Students from Solent University recently got the chance to design four new looks to celebrate the launch of B&Q's new homes range as part of a décor competition. 

New figures have revealed that card turnover at UK DIY stores was 10% higher in Q2 2012 than the same period last year, despite an 18% drop in card turnover at small businesses in general. 

Councils should look at raising rates on out of town retailers to help high streets, according to the Association of Convenience Stores. 

Home Hardware will unveil its new logo this autumn and rolling out the look to posters, shop fronts and staff uniforms. 

Sales at Grafton Group's retail operations fell 12.4% to €98.2m in the first half of the year. Operating loss at the Irish DIY and kitchens businesses soared from €0.4m to €3.5m. 

The Southampton retailer was open for business on time last Sunday, a matter of hours after a fire that required two fire engines to extinguish hit the building. 

A local shop report by the Association of Convenience Stores has revealed that small shopkeepers are among the hardest working professionals in Britain, with 60% working more than 50 hours in an average week. 

A new generation M&S store, featuring the biggest home department in the UK with 18,000 sq ft dedicated to the category, has opened at Cheshire Oaks, near Liverpool. 

A new social media page which will enable tradesmen to interact directly with their local building suppliers about new products as well as the latest hints and tips from trade experts is being rolled out by TradePoint. 

Chartham Garden Centre in Kent is the latest Garden Centre Group businesses to add a charity shop concession in aid of Pilgrims Hospices. 

Paint brand creates new commercial, featuring realflow fluid simulation technology - the first animation of its kind to break into the home improvement sector - in a bid to inspire homeowners to be bolder with colour. 

The seasonal homewares market saw a 357% increase in value and 554% in volume year-on-year for July 2012, according to GfK. 

A secret residential flat was discovered at Fourboys Garden Centre in Dursley last week, following a raid by officers from Stroud District Council who suspected all was not as it should be in the business's 'Tool Shed' building. 

The DIY giant's only Oxford outlet will be closing in coming weeks as the retailer opts out of its lease renewal. 

Barclay's senior economist Dr Brian Clark will be joining the line-up of speakers at this year's Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) Garden Futures Conference in London this October. 

Retailers will be able to sidestep a ban on buying traditional 40W bulbs due to come into force in September 1. 

Ian Cheshire, who has been chief executive of Kingfisher since January 2008, will be taking over from Rob Templeman as chairman of the British Retail Consortium on October 1. 

The garden centre chain has posted full-year results showing sales up from £111.9m to £136.4m for the year ending February 29, 2012. 

Screwfix's DIY Express store in Hayes, which was the second of the new-format stores opened by the Kingfisher-owned retailer this Spring, has ceased trading. 

A bitter row has escalated between the Garden Centre Group and Green Fields Farm Shop in Telford, Shropshire, culminating in the farm shop accusing the GCG of "corporate bullying" while the GCG claim trepass, damage and a vigorous denial of 'David and Goliath' reports.