Essential reading for retailers and suppliers in the home improvement market

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Brits spend £1m on digital gift cards

A digital gift card provider has announced that Britons have bought £1 million worth of digital gift cards over the past 12 months 
11 November 2015

Sales of outdoor categories up in October

Garden centres across the UK report a surge in sales of furniture and outdoor plants during October, with early indications of Christmas sales also good. 
11 November 2015

Decco teams up with Greenfingers

Wholesaler Decco has been announced as the logistics partner for Greenfingers' 'Turn Old into Gold' Scheme 
10 November 2015

Brits head outdoors this Christmas

Nearly a third of Brits want to enjoy their turkey alfresco this Christmas, says new survey, as more people than ever embrace the growing trend of eating outdoors all year round. 
9 November 2015

Shower market to benefit from water saving and ageing population

Following a relatively volatile period, there has been a notable increase in the market for showering products, and this year its value is predicted to have risen by around 4% over 2014. 
9 November 2015

Halloween drives footfall surge in October

Halloween and the half-term holidays spelled good news for UK retailers, with the last week of October becoming the busiest shopping week of the year. 
9 November 2015

DIY Week Awards: One week left to enter

The deadline for entry to the DIY Week Awards is fast approaching, with just seven days left to get your top product or stand-out retail business recognised. Don't miss out. 
6 November 2015

Argos leads up to Black Friday with colourful promotions

Argos will launch 'Red, White and Blue' Fridays leading up to Black Friday as part of its Christmas campaign. 
6 November 2015

Home Retail Group raises £1.1m for charity

General retailer Home Retail Group, owner of Argos, Homebase and Habitat, has reached the first £1 million milestone for Macmillan Cancer Support, since the launch of its two-year partnership in March this year. 
5 November 2015

Retail shrinkage costs UK stores £3.1bn

The annual Global Retail Theft Barometer, underwritten by Checkpoint Systems, reveals that UK retailers lost more than £3.1bn worth of inventory in 2014, equating to 0.89% of total retail sales, with shoplifting the biggest problem for home improvement stores. 
5 November 2015

Wilbys Home Hardware acquires builder's merchant

In a deal sealed yesterday, the owners of Wilbys Home Hardware have added a builder's merchant to their chain of three Suffolk and Norfolk hardware shops. 
4 November 2015

Use merchandising to drive wild bird care sales, says Gardman

With weather forecasters predicting a cold winter ahead, retailers should now be getting their wild bird care departments in shape in order to maximise sales in this key period, says Gardman. 
4 November 2015

Training roadshow will help garden centres boost sales

A series of training events is being rolled out around the UK early next year aimed at helping garden centres maximise sales. 
3 November 2015

Christmas 'will be good - though not great'

UK retail sales are set to grow by 2.5% in December 2015, reaching £42bn, but the appetite for spending online is stabilising. 
3 November 2015

DIY Week Awards - deadline fast approaching

Don't miss your chance to shine at the DIY Week Awards - get your entry in by Friday, November 13. 
3 November 2015

Hardware indies top sales growth league

Another good result in the third quarter means that hardware and DIY independents have now enjoyed the longest-running period of sales growth of independents across all sectors. 
2 November 2015

B&Q to highlight climate change with LED lighting discounts

In a bid to raise consumer awareness of the environmental challenges facing the planet Kingfisher stores are to offer discounts on energy-saving products to coincide with the upcoming United Nations climate change conference in Paris. 
2 November 2015

Black Friday bedlam 'will grow by a third'

Leading global information services provider Experian is warning that while last year's Black Friday madness overwhelmed some delivery operations, this year's follow-up will be even more challenging. 
28 October 2015

Gorilla Glue seals the deal with B&Q

Gorilla Glue has successfully rolled out its core range of tapes into all B&Q stores across the UK. 
28 October 2015

Grafton Group enters the Netherlands with acquisition

Merchanting and DIY business Grafton Group is to acquire a major Dutch tools distributor, giving it its first foothold in the Netherlands. 
28 October 2015
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