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. 

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. 

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. 

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

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. 

In what the business described as a "controversial decision", Beckworth Emporium in Mears Ashby has announced it will close its doors on Monday, June 4 and Tuesday, June 5 to allow staff to enjoy Diamond Jubilee festivities with family and friends. 

The two Home Retail Group businesses raised the landmark amount in just 21 months, smashing through their initial fundraising target of £2.5m for the group's official partner charity Teenage Cancer Trust. 

Retail sales value were down 3.3% like-for-like for April 2012 compared with April 2011 according to the British Retail Consortium, with the poor weather hitting outdoor products particularly hard 

The continued squeeze on household budgets and a subdued housing market have been blamed for the lowest level of DIY expenditure in 15 years, as revealed by a recent report by Lloyds TSB. 

In a deal worth £0.8m, Garden Bird Supplies, Garden Centre Online and the Listen2 businesses have all been sold by Flying Brands to home entertainment distributor MBL Group plc. 

It's historically been heralded the 'Bank Holiday of DIY' and major retailers B&Q, Homebase, Wickes and even Argos are all vying for a slice of the action with promotions, deals and exclusive offers this May Day Bank Holiday. 

After Bayer's TV ads received a good reception from retailers and gardeners, the firm has decided to extend the high profile campaign and run the commercials throughout the May and Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday weekends. 

The retailer reported the strongest sales performance in over three years for its last quarter, up 10% year-on-year. 

Argos boss John Walden, who joined as managing director in February, has drafted in consultants and launched a full review of the catalogue retail chain. 

Following research which revealed 47% of Brits are "put off DIY because they don't know what they're doing," the ICI brand has teamed up with augmented reality platform Aurasma to launch a free demonstration app. 

A Bill to suspend the Sunday Trading Laws, which restrict opening hours to six continuous hours between 10am and 6pm, received Royal Assent in government this week, meaning all shops with relevant floor space over 280 sq m (3,000sq ft) can open longer during the London Olympics. 

While many retailers are looking for a boost in sales from the upcoming London Olympics, a garden centre in Kent is expecting its turnover to take a hammering. 

Garden centre and horticultural industry staff are being urged to start limbering up for a fundraising event being held at the Garden Centre Association's (GCA) annual conference in 2013. 

Pritesh Pancholi of Melton Ironmongers in Leicester has named BHF Young Retailer of the Year for 2012. 

The group is in discussions with potential purchasers interested in the online garden shop and is hoping to complete a deal by the end of June.