12/09/2012

£30m Drop In Profits Blamed On Bad Weather

The summer’s heavy rainfall is being blamed for a drop in profits of £30m at DIY retailer B&Q.

Parent company Kingfisher said the record wet weather across the region had a significant impact on customer numbers, leaving sales of seasonal products such as barbecues down by 7%.

It said this meant it had to make higher than usual cuts in prices to shift summer goods.

Profits for the six months to the end of July were down by 16% at £371m.

Its UK and Ireland business was worst hit by the bad weather, with total sales down by 3%. Seasonal product sales fell 11% and customer visits to its stores were down by 20% in the wettest weeks.

Kingfisher's chief executive, Ian Cheshire, said: "This has been a tough first half, with unprecedented wet weather throughout the key spring and summer seasons in Northern Europe."

(H)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

13 November 2007
Women Motorists 'More Prepared' For Bad Weather
Women drivers are more likely to get caught out by severe weather, according to new research published by the Highways Agency. A survey of nearly 1,300 road users showed that women were less likely than men to make a journey by car after hearing a severe weather warning. Only 44% of women said that they would continue, compared with 62% of men.
19 October 2004
Customer service at heart of Sainsbury's 'sales-led' strategy
In an attempt to turnaround its profits slide, troubled retailer Sainsbury's has unveiled a new "sales-led" strategy which will see an extra 3,000 floor staff recruited and £400 million pumped into customer services over the next three years.
07 May 2015
Michelin Acquires Tyre Sales Company For £50m
Michelin Tyres has purchased tyre sales company Blackcircles.com for £50 million. The Edinburgh firm generated a revenue of £28 million in 2013 and has experienced an annual growth of around 20% per annum since 2008. Michael Welch, founder of Blackcircles.
04 June 2003
Kingfisher sales up after Easter DIY boom
Kingfisher, the owners of BIY retail chain B&Q, has announced trading has been brisk for the first quarter to 3 May 2003, with retail sales up 9.2% to £2.6 billion, partly due to a flurry of spring DIY activity. B&Q's total sales grew by 12.8%, up 6.3% on a like-for-like basis, and this was reflected in the retail profit which was up 16.
15 August 2013
Sunny Weather Boosts UK Sales
Sunny weather in July has been credited in part for aiding an economic boost within the retail industry. The findings were released today in a statistical bulletin by the Office for National Statistics. Estimates of retail sales for July showed continued growth in the quantity of bought goods.