Insulation demand boosts Kingfisher

INSULATION and energyefficient products are flying off the shelves as households try to shield themselves from soaring bills.

Kingfisher said demand has shot up for products such as loft insulation amid the ongoing energy crisis.

The owner of B&Q and Screwfix said insulation sales across the group in the past three weeks were 70pc higher than pre-pandemic levels. At B&Q, insulation sales were more than double the same period before Covid struck, according to boss Thierry Garnier.

But it came as Kingfisher shares fell 3.92pc, or 9.7p, to 237.6p after sales and profits fell back from last year’s pandemic-fuelled highs.

Profit in the six months to July 31 slumped 30pc to £474m, while sales fell 4.1pc to £6.8bn.