Kitchen Kapers director Caroline Gordon was elected president of the British Independent Retailers Association at the AGM on April 24. 

The balance of sales volumes for DIY and hardware retailers has dipped to -45% after holding steady in March, according to the latest distributive trades survey by the CBI. 

With first store Mainlys of Devizes Mica having gone from conception during a conversation at the 2010 Totally DIY show to winning the 2011 Silver Hardware Retailer of the Year DIY Week Award, owners Colin and Clare Henrich decided the time was ripe to open a second store. 

Employment opportunities in non-food stores rose for the first time in almost a year, according to the latest figures produced by the British Retail Consortium. 

In a recent DIYWeek.net poll, 74% of respondents said they thought the hosepipe ban would negatively impact garden centre trade, but according to the latest results from the Garden Centre Association, like-for-like sales were up 11.5% during March. 

A number of DIY retailers and builders merchants across an area of London received calls from a Howdens depot this week, telling them their accounts with the joinery supplier were being closed forthwith because they "did not want anyone re-selling our doors." 

Sheffield-based electrical goods wholesaler and national distributor Inman & Co has been closed down after going into administration. 

The latest preliminary estimate from the Office of National Statistics shows the country is technically in a double-dip recession, with the GDP having contracted by 0.2% in Q1 following a 0.3% shrinkage in Q4 2011, but sector insight shows positive growth in the retail sector. 

The Garden Store Group has taken over the Burford Garden Company's 10-hectare garden centre located at Burford House in Tenbury, Wiltshire. 

The bulky and "sometimes hazardous" nature of DIY products ramps up home delivery costs and means online orders have seen only limited growth in recent years, according to a new sector insight report into DIY retailing. 

The home and hardware chain has refuted claims in the press that restaurant and health club owner R Capital is among the four or five potential buyers currently caught up in a bidding war over the retailer. 

The carpet and floor coverings retailer announced group sales had dropped by 4.2% in the 11 weeks to April 14, 2012, with total sales across Europe decreasing by 4.7%, a LfL drop of 4.4%. 

Staff at Rolawn took part in a range of fundraising activities - from a sponsored slim to a 70mile bike ride - and put on discounts for their online customers to raise money as part of their Garden Re-Leaf Day effort. 

Irish tiles and bathroom retailer Tubs and Tiles, and heating and plumbing supplier Heat Merchant have been bought by Hevac Ltd parent group Harleston. 

European sales director Simon Damp has become a regular demonstrator of Gorilla Glue products on live TV shopping channel QVC after being approached by the channel during a Totally DIY show four years ago. 

Ireland's retail industry suffered its 12th consecutive quarter of declining sales during its 2012 Q1 trading period, but there was some light at the end of the tunnel as retail sales for March recorded a like-for-like increase of 0.73%. 

The DIY retailer won one of the Queen's Awards for Enterprise in recognition of its work as a sustainable business and its efforts improving the sustainability of people's homes. 

Flooring retailer bought as a going concern within hours of appointing administrators on Friday. 

The John Lewis partnership released positive post-Easter sales figures today, showing sales at £61.09m for the department store, up 13.9% on the same period last year. 

Totally DIY, the UK's main exhibition for the home improvement market, is moving venues for 2013.