The 12-week consultation period launched by Defra to discuss implementation of the EU Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides came to an end on May 4. 

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Beam Group has joined the growing list of big-name sponsors of next week's Product of the Year Awards. 

DIY Week has teamed up with retail analyst GfK to launch a new market monitor for the home improvement sector. 

Swedish retailer Clas Ohlson opened its sixth and seventh stores last week, in Liverpool and Leeds. 

Despite €25m sales drop in January due to severe weather, UK trading improves with like-for-like growth in recent months. 

B&Q's new trade counter division TradePoint has launched the 'Whistle While You Work' campaign to get Britain's builders whistling again. 

The retail chain has announced it will offer a new national next day delivery service covering its entire product range. 

Poundland has been bought be US private equity firm Warburg Pincus in a deal believed to be worth around £200m. 

Overall shop price inflation rose to 2% last month, as seasonal promotions come to an end and commodity prices soar. 

JML Direct has had its knuckles rapped by the ASA over a television advertisement for its Magic Carpet mat. 

Home products retail chain Cargo has announced its withdrawal from garden centre concessions after trials failed to live up to expectations. 

Top Drawer Home is the latest high-profile name to add its support to the Product of the Year Awards 2010. 

A fire that ripped through a Homebase store in Kent at the weekend is being investigated as suspicious, along with the possibility of a link with another fire half an hour later at a local B&Q. 

As US retail chain Best Buy opens the doors on its first UK store this morning there may be a few surprises on offer - including electric vehicles, scooters and bikes. 

Abbeydale Garden Company in Sheffield will close in June, with the land lined up for use as a car park for Dore railway station. 

March saw sales of durable goods rise 3.3% in March compared with the same month last year, with DIY and garden only just behind the average. GfK says "worst of credit crunch appears to be over" but consumers remain cautious. 

B&Q is launching its biggest ever May price investment campaign in preparation for the double May bank holiday DIY season, the retailer announced yesterday. 

US electricals giant Best Buy has set Currys firmly in its sights with a new price comparison advert ahead of its first store opening at Thurrock retail park tomorrow. 

Owner of Essex-based ironmongers blames sheds for demise as it plans to close its door for good next month.