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Loctite announces relaunch and £5m ad campaign

Henkel brand Loctite, which has been around since 1953, will be using 2012 to relaunch with a £5m advertising campaign. 
24 May 2012

Screwfix website climbs ranks, as DIY giants slip

The results are in for the latest Sitemorse survey of the top 500 retail websites in Q2, and following its bottom ranking last quarter, Screwfix will be pleased to see its position raised to 414. 
24 May 2012

Tile Choice embarks on expansion plan after LfL sales climb 14%

The Wolverhampton-based tiling chain has announced plans to expand its current range of 15 stores on the tail of a successful year of growth. 
24 May 2012

Chelsea successes for Homebase, Westland and Hillier

DIY and garden giant Homebase bagged a Gold medal this year for its Teenage Cancer Trust garden designed by Joe Swift, while Westland's 80ft high Magical Odyssey was awarded a Silver-Gilt Flora and names Most Creative Show Garden of 2012. Meanwhile, Chelsea veteran Hillier achieved its 67th consecutive Gold medal for its very British themed Dual and the Crown exhibit.
 
24 May 2012

Hosepipe ban suspended for SE gardening businesses

Record rainfall during April and May means landscaping, turf and gardening businesses in the South and East of England are now exempt from the hosepipe ban for up to 28 days. 
23 May 2012

BRC reports April "washout", but household goods saw 3.6% boost

New figures released by the Office for National Statistics show the sales volume for household goods retailers saw the biggest increase since January 2011, but retail overall suffered a 0.4% dip in April compared with the same time last year. 
23 May 2012

Wales GC installs solar panels to drive down energy bills

The Old Railway Line Garden Centre in Powys, Wales, has recently installed a set of photovoltaic (PV) panels as part of its mass-redevelopment plan. 
23 May 2012

Prize for the best independent summer window display

UK Point of Sale is calling all independent retailers to make the most of the big events this summer through their window displays, promising an iPad to the best celebratory shop-front this July. 
22 May 2012

JML launches chat show dedicated to TV shopping

JML partners with ITV to launch a new retail TV format called 'The Store with JML,' – a UK first on a mainstream channel where viewers can buy products. 
16 May 2012

BHETA improves members' access to market data

BHETA has partnered with Thomson Local Directories to give its members the chance to build databases specific to their requirements. 
15 May 2012

34% of UK town centres saw more empty shops in Q1 2012 than 2011...

...Yet 56% saw some improvement, albeit small, compared with the same period 12 months ago, according to a review of the shop vacancy rate during 2012's first quarter by the Local Data Company. 
15 May 2012

Retail crime rate surges by 83% in two years

According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), more than 35,000 members of retail staff suffered physical or verbal abuse last year, leading the retail association to publish a new guide on what is being done - and what more it thinks should be done - to tackle the problem. 
15 May 2012

CWV sells Anaglypta wallpaper brand

The British wallcovering brand, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, was sold to Erfurt MAV for an undisclosed sum last month. 
15 May 2012

Homebase stocks special rose for teen cancer patient

A pink rose created in the memory of a teenager who lost her life to cancer aged 19 is going on general sale for the first time in Homebase stores this week. 
15 May 2012

Independent DIY stores see like-for-like sales up 3.34% in Q1

DIY and hardware selling members of the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) reported Q1 2012 sales were up by over 3% on Q1 2011, bettering the Q4 2011's +2.9% figure. 
14 May 2012

Wickes sales marred by wet weather in Q1

The retail leg of Travis Perkins Plc, including Wickes and Tile Giant, revealed a like-for-like sales drop of 5.2% during the 17 weeks to April 30, but the figure was boosted to -2.6% when counting the newly-acquired Toolstation. 
14 May 2012

GIMA Awards 2012 head for London

The Garden Industry Manufacturers' Association (GIMA) is appealing to all suppliers of products which are sold, or could be sold, through any garden retail channels, DIY and/or hardware stores, builders merchants and garden centres to enter the 2012 awards. 
14 May 2012

Harvey's rapped for 'misleading' sales promotion

A customer who bought a kitchen table on the final day of Harvey's '8 Day Sale' in January complained to the ASA when the furniture retailer ran a further promotion offering an additional 10% off selected products the very next day. 
10 May 2012

The Old Railway Line GC announces expansion plans

A Powys-based garden centre will be expanding this summer to help cope with the growing demand from retail and catering customers. 
10 May 2012

BRC criticises Queen's Speech for upholding red tape on retail

Reacting to the Queen's speech, the director general of the British Retail Consortium Stephen Robertson said the outlined policies won't allow retailers to contribute effectively to economic growth. 
10 May 2012
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