Essential reading for retailers and suppliers in the home improvement market

Latest News

Homebase acquisition given final seal of approval

Shareholders of Home Retail Group formally approved the sale of Homebase to Australian retailer Wesfarmers today. 
26 February 2016

Squire's raises £850 for local charity

Squire's garden centre head office in Bagshot Lea recently raised £850 for local charity Post 19. 
25 February 2016

Garden Wise pledges to raise £5k for Marie Curie

Garden Wise Plant and Garden Centre is aiming to raise £5,000 for the Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal 2016. 
25 February 2016

DIY store overcomes disaster to celebrate 180 years

Independent DIY store JB Banks, named for the father and son who opened the store in 1836, is celebrating 180 years in business - despite several bumps in the road along the way. 
25 February 2016

Garden centre bosses to speak at GIMA conference

Bob Hewitt, the outgoing chief executive of Klondyke Group, and Derek Bunker, owner of Alton Garden Centre, will both be speaking to delegates at the next Garden Industry Manufacturers Association (GIMA) Day Conference. 
24 February 2016

BHETA members will meet Wilko buyers

The British Home Enhancement Trade Association's (BHETA) next Meet the Buyer day will be held with Wilko. 
24 February 2016

Sainsbury's given three week extension on Argos bid

UK supermarket giant Sainsbury's has been given three weeks to decide whether it will offer a bid to counter Steinhoff's £1.42bn proposal for Argos. 
23 February 2016

Relocation for Carl Kammerling International

Carl Kammerling International has relocated its north west marketing office from Manchester Business Park to Daresbury Park in Cheshire, to accommodate future growth plans. 
23 February 2016

Catering kicks off garden centres' New Year

Catering sales kick-started garden centres' year, according to the latest figures from the Garden Centre Association (GCA). 
23 February 2016

Harveys owner rivals Sainsbury's bid for Argos

South African retailer Steinhoff, which owns Harveys and Bensons for Beds, has made a rival bid of £1.42bn for Argos, outstripping Sainsbury's bid of £1.35bn. 
22 February 2016

Shares at HRG rocket following rival bid for Argos

Home Retail Group's shares have jumped by 12% following Steinhoff International's rival bid against Sainsbury's for Argos. 
22 February 2016

Amazon to open 1m sq ft fulfilment centre

Internet retail giant Amazon has announced plans to open a one million sq ft fulfilment centre in Coalville, Leicestershire, as part of its £4.6bn investment in UK projects. 
19 February 2016

Household goods internet sales up almost 30% in January

Stores falling into the 'household goods' category saw the biggest year-on-year online sales growth for January 2016 compared with all other retail sectors, up 29.8% on January 2015 according to the Office for National Statistics. 
19 February 2016

Homebase recalls blind over child strangulation fears

Homebase has issued a recall for its Bamboo Roll Up Blinds over fears the pull cord breakaways are too strongly locked and could pose a risk of strangulation to a small child. 
19 February 2016

All-new Totally garners mixed reviews

The new two-day, mid-week Totally Tools and Totally DIY shows closed yesterday afternoon, with the jury still out for many as to whether the show - noticeably missing several big-name exhibitors - made it work. 
18 February 2016

B&Q Motherwell to close

B&Q has confirmed its Motherwell supercentre is among the 60 stores to be culled by the Kingfisher retail giant over the next two years, according to reports. 
18 February 2016

Industry top-runners strike gold at the DIY Week Awards

Hundreds of top names from the DIY industry flocked to the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, for the DIY Week awards last night. 
17 February 2016

City suggests Wyevale is up for sale

Reports over the weekend have stirred up talk that private equity firm Terra Firma is considering selling the 153-strong Wyevale Garden Centre chain, with city sources suggesting an auction is on the cards 
17 February 2016

New format Totally opens

The re-vamped two day Totally DIY and Totally Tools opened today, debuting it's midweek time slot. 
16 February 2016

BHF reveals the winners of its annual awards

The British Hardware Federation Awards were presented today at trade show Totally DIY: Totally Tools by BHF chairman Stewart Munro and BIRA CEO Alan Hawkins. 
16 February 2016
*

Most read stories