Good stuff first: the show was well planned, well dressed and well promoted. There was a strong spread of exhibitors, and plenty of worthwhile new products. And the visitor numbers were on a par with those achieved before the show left London in 2009.... Read entry

Well, Monday's attendance at Totally DIY felt considerably better than Sunday.... Read entry

Talking to exhibitors during the first day of Totally DIY, the collective view seems to be: it could have been worse.... Read entry

For a textbook example of 24-carat crap journalism, you wouldn't have to look much further than the item that appeared on the BBC website at 12.41pm on Monday January 23. Under the headline "Is it RIP for DIY?", a presenter named Steph McGovern told us that "over 600 DIY firms are exhibiting at the Interiors UK fair in Birmingham" and posed the question "Are DIY companies still making money?". ... Read entry

It's just over two years since Wyevale Garden Centres announced it had decided to abandon the Wyevale name. Instead of trading under a single corporate identity, all the centres in the chain were to adopt - or revert to - local identities. ... Read entry

"Quelle horreur. One of our last brilliant British retaliers [sic] Habitat has gone into administration. Part being bought by Homebase! OMG!" Thus tweets self-styled 'Queen of Shops' Mary Portas. ... Read entry

Journalists love numbers - especially big numbers. The fact that they are sometimes meaningless big numbers doesn't matter in the slightest. ... Read entry

I was in Northern France recently looking in the major DIY stores including Castorama, Leroy Merlin and Brico Depot.... Read entry

Retail 'guru' Mary Portas has hit the headlines again (remember her televised makeover of Lightwater Homecare?) with her pet retail hates.... Read entry

With all the talk of the effects of the VAT increase on consumer spending, I notice that many retailers are now using this as a promotional tool ('pre VAT prices held' etc.).... Read entry