Kingfisher's B&Q
In the ten weeks to 11 July 2015, B&Q owner Kingfisher hiked its UK and Ireland sales by 5.5% Reuters

Kingfisher, the owner of DIY retailer B&Q, saw like-for-likes sales jump by 3.5% as it reported strong second quarter results on 23 July.

Screwfix, Kingfisher's hardware division, continued to be the strongest driver of growth in the UK, with sales rising by 16.7%, compared to the 3.4% rise recorded by B&Q.

Veronique Laury, Kingfisher's chief executive, said in a statement: "We have delivered a solid Q2 sales performance to date across all our major businesses, albeit against softer comparatives than in Q1."

Overall, sales in the UK and Ireland rose 5.5% in the period with France seeing a 1.3% rise.

James Grzinic, analyst at broker Jeffries, said: "Demand from small UK builders remains strong, adding to Screwfix's share gains from its strong multi-channel offering and aggressive openings programme. B&Q was also helped by strong demand in indoor project spend."

In March, Laury announced the closure of 60 unprofitable B&Q stores.

More about Kingfisher

Russia