Shares in Kingfisher were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading ahead of a statement on the retailer's third quarter, due out tomorrow.

The group, which owns B&Q, reported a fall in its sales of 0.9 per cent in its half year results, reported in September, although the group's profits were still strong thanks to an emphasis on cutting costs.

Keith Bowman, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said, "The attempted turnaround in the group's Chinese operations may well remain a feature, whilst management outlook comments, particularly regarding what appears to be a stalling recovery for the UK housing market, is likely to receive investor attention. Market consensus opinion currently denotes a buy."

By 15:45 shares in Kingfisher were up 0.81 per cent on the FTSE 100 to 236.90 pence per share.

FTSE