DIY disaster as rival chains are hammered

BAD weather and changing home improvement habits have led to a miserable summer for Britain’s biggest DIY companies.

Sales at Kingfisher’s chain B&Q were down 7.7pc to £967m during the second quarter while Homebase’s sales for the full year plummeted 6.8pc to £1.2bn.

B&Q said the warmer spring meant that customers bought products earlier than normal, while Homebase’s Australian owners Wesfarmers put the blame on upheaval as it shakes up the business.

But Kingfisher’s other hardware business, Screwfix, saw sales up 17.2pc to £365m over the second quarter.

The firm has a strong online footing and is also more widely used by tradesmen.

It is thought home owners are increasingly paying tradesman to do work rather than doing it themselves.

Independent retail analyst Richard Hyman said: ‘Screwfix is the jewel in the crown of Kingfisher’s business. It’s now much cheaper than it used to be to pay people to do it for you rather than do it yourself.

‘The sector is also particularly vulnerable to internet purchasing. Home improvement is by definition very functional and if you know what you want and don’t have to make the trek around the store, you are not going to.’

Last year, Screwfix’s click and collect orders grew 60pc and orders through mobile devices grew 124pc.

Digital sales at B&Q grew 45pc over the same period.

Screwfix has also opened new 21 outlets this year, while B&Q has closed 65 in two years. B&Q now has 295 stores and Screwfix has 538, with hopes to increase that to 700.

Overall sales at Kingfisher rose 4pc to £3.15bn and chief executive Veronique Laury said the business remained on track to meet its targets.