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UK home improvement

  • We’ll cut Neet support if Healey hikes taxes, warns boss of B&Q owner Kingfisher 

    Retail

    The boss of B&Q-owner Kingfisher has warned John Healey that the FTSE 100 firm may have to cut its support for unemployed young people if the Chancellor hikes taxes.  Thierry Garnier, the retail group’s chief executive, wrote in City AM that the Chancellor must exempt shops from the highest bracket of business rates at the [...]

    Exterior view of a B&Q store entrance with Shop day or night at diy.com and Trade Point signage.
  • Kingfisher shares rocket after B&Q owner lifts profit target

    Retail

    Home improvement group Kingfisher saw its shares rocket after the group lifted its profit target, despite summer heatwaves pushing down sales at B&Q. The FTSE 100 retailer, which also owns Screwfix, said it now expects to make a pre-tax profit of between £595m and £635m, having previously guided between £565m and £625m. Last year, the [...]

    Diverse B&Q team in orange aprons smiling outside a store, representing typical staff.
  • Wickes gains as Brits go budget in kitchen refurbs 

    Retail

    Wickes is benefiting from a slowdown in consumer spending as Brits switch to the value home improvement retailer and away from premium rivals, its boss has said.  The FTSE 250 group posted a 2.1 per cent jump in revenue to £865m in the six months to June, buoyed by rising sales of big ticket items [...]

    Wickes employee in a high-vis vest and gloves standing outside a store entrance with bags of soil for sale.
  • B&Q owner eyes warm weather boost as sales fall

    May 26, 2026

    B&Q’s FTSE 100 owner will be hoping for a heatwave boost after it blamed poor weather for falling sales at the start of the year.  Kingfisher, which also owns Screwfix and home improvement retailers in France and Poland, saw total like-for-like sales dip by 0.9 per cent to £3.3bn in the first quarter of the [...]

  • Wickes profit down by almost a quarter as sector struggles

    September 10, 2024

    Profit at British DIY and home improvement retailer Wickes fell by almost a quarter over the past six months as sales slowed across the entire home improvement market. The London-listed company, which is headquartered in Watford, reported an adjusted pre-tax profit of £23.4m during the six months ending 29 June, 2024, down just under 25 [...]

  • Wickes: Brits still holding back on big-ticket items as DIY goods preferred

    July 31, 2024

    Wickes reported a mixed set of results for the half of the year, with consumers still unwilling to spend on big-ticket items but happy to buy DIY retail goods. Overall group sales fell by 3.4 per cent in the 26 weeks to June 29 at the London-listed company. Revenue in the second quarter fell by [...]

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