NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF


n Topps Tiles has announced the opening of a new store in Shipley, following an investment of more than £160,000. The 4,674sq ft store on Baildon Bridge Retail Park will retail the company’s extensive collections of wall and floor tiles. This newest store is part of the company’s on-going expansion of its 360 store portfolio. n The parent company of International Design brand Brabantia has announced the takeover of Dutchdeluxes, which supplies fashionable kitchen products and tableware. The Dutchdeluxes brand will be maintained following the takeover and will continue to broaden its scope alongside Brabantia as an independent label, on a smaller scale but utilising the international logistic and sales network of Brabantia to sell its products worldwide. n After a seven-year search, lawn and garden distributor EP Barrus has found a new site and will be expanding operations to a new location within Bicester. The new 16-acre site on the Graven Hill Development will enable the company to consolidate its operations under one roof and remain in Bicester, Oxfordshire, where it has been since 1977. n A team from Wilko has raised £50,000 for The Prince’s Trust youth charity as part of its nationwide Million Makers challenge. Team ‘Aspire’ from Wilko head office devised an annual fundraising programme across 12 months in addition to designing and developing a Wilko re-usable bag to sell in all stores with all net proceeds going to the charity. The team smashed its initial target of £10,000 and was crowned winners of the Yorkshire and Humber challenge. n Rude Botany is joining forces with the Orchid Male Cancer Charity, which works on behalf of anyone affected by or interested in male cancer – prostate, testicular and penile. The partnership means 10% from each sale of three selected cheeky Rude Botany t-shirts: Philadelphus erectus, Rubus cockburnianus and Phallus impudicus, will be donated to the Orchid Charity.


2 DIY WEEK 16 JUNE 2017


Global DIY Summit predicts growth for HI sector


The fifth Global DIY Summit drew a record 1,000 delegates, including attendees from over 320 of the top retailers from around the world. Delegates travelled from 55 countries to participate in this year’s event, which took place at the Maritim Hotel in Berlin on June 8-10.


Initial feedback has been


extremely positive, with 81% of delegates describing the event as ‘excellent’ or


’very good’


using a voting tool on the final day. The results mean this year’s Summit was voted the best-ever event to date. The motto of this year’s event was “A New Era – A Glimpse


into the Future of


Home Improvement”. A host of international speakers gave strong presentations on a wide variety of topics, including digital platforms as new business models, the political and economic forecasts after


Trump Presidency and Brexit, how a company should start its own digital transformation, as well as a global overview of home improvement stores around the world. The general perception of global economy was positive and most of the speakers forecast more innovation and growth within the next years. This year over 30% of the Summit’s audience were retailers – a big increase compared with the congress held in Stockholm last year. Suppliers are


still the largest group


attending, with approximately 57% of the delegates listed as manufacturers.


were


Delegates at the conference also


asked for


expectations for their business development for


their this year


compared with last year. Nearly a quarter of delegates (21%) were optimistic and estimated growth of more than 10%.


Around 39% of the audience was more cautious, as


they


forecast growth of between 0% and 4%. Approximately 22% of suppliers predicted that they will grow more than 10% compared to last year, while 20% of the retailers forecast the same growth.


The industry still seems to be sceptical regarding the shift from bricks and mortar


Mahjacks of Dedworth set to close doors after 50 years


The business is currently run


Mahjacks of Dedworth, Windsor – which received the Royal Warrant of Appointment as a Tradesman to the Queen after supplying goods to the royal household – is closing down after 50 years of trading.


Family-run Mahjacks opened


in Dedworth Road in 1966. It was granted the Royal Warrant after supplying a number of goods, beginning with an order of 6 x 6 inch


white tiles, nearby Windsor Castle. to


by sisters Pamela Needham and Jackie Wixon-Jones. The sisters considered downsizing back in 2011 but were unable to find a suitable alternative site. Last month they accepted an offer from developer Patrick Ruddy Homes and the store is now set to close for good in July. Ms Wixon-Jones, who will


retire once the store closes, paid tribute to the shop’s customers, saying “we’ve been really lucky.” The site currently has planning permission for a 5,000 sq ft shop with room for 13 flats above it.


Garden centres report furniture sales increase


Customers at garden centres across the country prepared themselves for the good weather by buying furniture and barbecues for their outside spaces according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Barometer of Trade results. Furniture and barbecue sales in April were up 37.46% compared to the same month last year with outdoor plant sales close behind at 33.22%. “Lots of householders have been busy getting their gardens ready in order to enjoy the sunshine,” explains GCA chief


executive Iain Wylie. “They’ve been purchasing garden furniture and barbecues so they can make the most of their outside spaces as possible and this has been reflected in the figures recorded by our members. “Garden sundries sales


were up 27.65% and hard landscaping up 20.88%. Smaller garden centres showed a greater increase in plants as they make up a greater percentage of their sales. The results are reasonably consistent across the country but we expect it will be a completely different story with May’s results.”


into online retailing, as 22% of the total delegates think that online sales shares in DIY in five years will be less than 10%. Almost 30% of the audience predicted a range between 10% and 15%. Even more interesting is that 18% of the delegates forecast more than 25%. The next Global DIY Summit will be held in Barcelona from June 13-14, 2018.


Retailers suffer 30% more online crime


Furniture and barbecue sales in April were up 37.46% compared to the same month last year (2016)


Online crime against retailers rose by 30% over the last year, according to a new crime survey published by the Home Office, raising concerns about the sector’s preparedness for new data protection rules. The ‘commercial victimisation survey’ found that there were 787 incidents of crime per 1,000 retail premises in 2016, up from 603 in 2015. The type of crimes experienced included hacking, website vandalism, viruses and the theft of money and information. The figures support the findings of a recent survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which revealed that cyber- crimes such as hacking and data theft represent 5% of the total direct cost of crime to retail businesses costing upwards of £36m. A separate survey from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport found that retailers who hold electronic personal data on their customers are 14% likely to have experienced a cyber security breach than those who do not.


www.diyweek.net


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