DIY
DIY covers the latest business developments and trends across the UK home improvement and hardware retail sector. This section reports on trading performance, consumer demand, sustainability initiatives, and supply chain management among leading DIY and home retail brands. Retail Sector’s DIY coverage provides insight into how retailers are adapting to shifts in housing, lifestyle, and economic conditions — offering practical analysis for executives, suppliers, and category managers shaping strategy and operations in this competitive market.
-
Jan- 2019 -30 January
B&Q found to have leaked details of 75,000 thieves
B&Q has been found to have leaked details of 75,000 shoplifters including vehicle descriptions and full names. The leak was found by security researcher Ctrlbox Information Security, which said the details were leaked on to the internet without password protection. The group said B&Q had removed the sensitive data and…
Read More » -
3 January
Home Bargains becomes latest retailer to announce a ‘quiet hour’
Home Bargains has become the latest retailer to announce a ‘quiet hour’ in order to create a calmer environment for customers with autism to shop in. The initiative is being carried out in partnership with the National Autistic Society, and will see all music switched off in its stores each…
Read More » -
Dec- 2018 -5 December
Travis Perkins contemplating future of Wickes brand
Parent company Travis Perkins is contemplating the future of its Wickes brand as it seeks to “simplify its business to improve returns”. Following a comprehensive review of the business announced it July, the board of Travis Perkins concluded that the group will focus on “serving trade customers through advantaged businesses…
Read More » -
Nov- 2018 -22 November
Ikea’s ‘business transformation’ leaves 350 UK and Irish jobs at risk
DIY giant Ikea has announced that 350 jobs, out of the 12,100 UK and Ireland roles, may be made redundant during the next two years as part of its ‘business transformation’. Ikea’s owner, Ingka Group, said its transformation plan is “assessing all parts of the organisation” and is simplifying it…
Read More » -
2 November
B&Q abandons Black Friday promotion
B&Q has announced it is “abandoning” Black Friday in favour of providing its customers with “year-round” low prices across the store. The DIY retailer is sticking with its everyday low prices model, which went store-wide with a £100m investment from July this year and has been in place on kitchens…
Read More » -
1 November
Carpetright announces HY trading to be ‘heavily impacted’ by restructuring
Carpetright has said trading in its half-year update for the 26-week period ending 27 October was “heavily impacted” by the company’s restructuring which included 67 store closures. It said like-for-like performance remained negative in this second part of the period however “there was an improvement in the trend, as the…
Read More » -
Oct- 2018 -30 October
Sofa.com to replace ScS at House of Fraser
Furniture specialists Sofa.com is set to introduce its products to seven House of Fraser outlets, replacing some of the ScS concessions. Sofa and carpet retailer ScS announced it would pull its concessions from House of Fraser by January 2019 as the company said the partnership was “no longer beneficial” following…
Read More » -
25 October
ScS to pull concessions from House of Fraser
Furniture and floorings retail chain, ScS, has announced it will cease trading within House of Fraser stores in its trading update for the 12 weeks ending 20 October 2018. The group said due to developments with House of Fraser over the last few months, it believed the partnership was “no…
Read More » -
11 October
Ikea reports strong growth in retail sales for FY 2018
Flat pack furniture retailer Ikea has reported a 4.7% increase in retail sales to €38.8bn (£33.9bn) in its full year 2018 report. The company opened 12 new Ikea stores, including its first in India, and customer visits to its 367 stores increased by 3% (838 million visits) in 2018 while…
Read More » -
9 October
Ikea fined £100,000 after worker loses part of two fingers
Furniture retailer Ikea has been fined £100,000 after two of an engineer’s fingers were partially amputated during maintenance work on a roof-mounted fan at its Bristol store. The incident took place at the Eastgate Shopping Centre store on 21 November 2016 and was investigated and prosecuted by Bristol City Council.…
Read More »
