NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF


 Akzo Nobel’s continued commitment to offering the best conditions for its employees has been recognised by the Top Employers Institute, with the company receiving official certification in three of its key markets – Brazil, China and the UK. AkzoNobel has now achieved Top Employer status for six years in a row in the UK and five consecutive years in China, while in Brazil it’s the second year running.  Dealer-owned wholesaler, Home Hardware Southwest won the Best Housewares Wholesaler accolade at the annual Housewares Innovation Awards hosted by DIY Week sister title, Housewares Magazine. It is the second year running that Home Hardware has taken home the award. Home Hardwarre Southwest CEO Martin Elliott said of the win: “It’s a proud achievement and reflects the commitment, effort and hard work of all our staff throughout the company together with the support and loyalty from our retailers.”  Following the on-going success of the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Rising Stars initiative, a new programme aimed at garden centre catering staff was launched at its conference last month. Sponsored by Creed Foodservice, the new programme has been created to highlight and develop the talented individuals in garden centre restaurants and cafés and to recognise the important role catering plays in the industry.  International gardening brand, Lasher Tools has entered the UK market and has appointed JAM PR to help it target garden centres, builder’s merchants and home improvement retailers. Established in South Africa over 80 years ago, Lasher supplies gardening, DIY, construction, agricultural, forestry and mining equipment throughout Europe, Africa, the USA and Australia.  The HTA will be exhibiting within the Discovery Zone in the Great Pavilion at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show and promises an exhibit that UK garden centres can get behind and replicate in store to join in with the buzz.


4 DIY WEEK 23 FEBRUARY 2018


Grafton Group acquires Leyland SDM for £82.4m


Grafton Group, which has operations in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium, has acquired the entire issued share capital of London’s largest independent specialist decorators’ merchant, Leyland SDM. The deal will see the


merchanting and DIY group enhance its estate of large- format Selco branches with the addition of Leyland’s ‘small-box’ style convenience outlets across central London.


The total consideration payable by the Group is £82.4million on a debt-free, cash-free basis and will be funded from the Group’s cash and debt facilities.


Leyland SDM serves both trade professionals and DIY customers


across London, selling paint, tools, ironmongery and accessories across its 21-strong network of stores. Its portfolio includes


predominantly high street stores, situated in some of London’s most prominent locations including King’s Road Chelsea, High Street Kensington, Shaftesbury Avenue, Victoria, Clerkenwell, and Notting Hill. In the last two years, it has further expanded its footprint with four new stores opened in Battersea, Mile End, Clapham High Street and Putney as well as opening a new Distribution Centre at Wembley.


Grafton intends that the Leyland SDM “small box” convenience trading format – which it describes as “a proven business model” in Central London will complement its


larger Selco branches located in Greater London.


Leyland SDM posted revenue and underlying EBITA of £47.8 million and £7.3 million respectively for the year ended December 31, 2017. Commenting on the agreement, Grafton CEO Gavin Slark said today:


ManoMano closes 2017 with a turnover of €250 million


ManoMano boasts a catalogue of over 1.6 million products, of which more than 200,000 are on sale in the UK.


ManoMano is confirmed as the largest European marketplace for home improvement and gardening, as it posted a global turnover of 250 million euros for 2017, having also doubled UK turnover year-over-year.


Launched in 2013 in France, ManoMano.co.uk opened to the UK market in 2016. In September 2017, the marketplace raised 60 million Euros in Series C funding led by global growth equity firm, General Atlantic.


Co-founder Christian Raisson said: “The UK has exceeded all the expectations we had set for 2017, which demonstrates the real need for digital pure-players in the DIY and garden industry.” In 2018, ManoMano has said it will prioritise expanding its catalogue, strengthening its teams and ensuring the best possible customer experience across all platforms. With efforts in digital innovation and new resources, ManoMano hopes to become the European leader in the online DIY and gardening market.


Kelkay bought by Griffon Corporation


Family-run garden landscaping brand, Kelkay has been acquired by the same US firm that took over La Hacienda last July. It now forms part of The AMES Companies, Inc - the largest supplier of non-powered lawn and garden tools in US, Canada and Australasia.


US public company, the


Griffon Corporation turns over approximately $2billion a year. Its subsidiary, AMES, acquired La Hacienda in July 2017 and also operates a subsidiary in Co Cork (Ireland). The company has a portfolio of other well-known brands across USA, Canada and Australia with ranges including hand tools, wheelbarrows, irrigation equipment,


as well as patio planters and other home and garden products. Antony Harker, who has run the business with his partner Hayley for the past 15 years, will take on the new role of managing director for The AMES Companies UK Ltd. (“AMES UK”) and will have oversight of AMES’ Ireland business. The rest of the Kelkay board


of directors will all remain in their current roles to continue the successful development strategy for the UK business.


Mr Harker will be tasked with driving forward AMES’ expansion into UK gardening, which the US firm has identified as a strategic growth market. He said of the deal and his new role: “This is a


very exciting time for Kelkay and it represents a major step forward for the business, the whole team and our customers. AMES has a major focus on developing their business in the UK.”


“The acquisition of Leyland SDM is a unique opportunity to acquire a leading brand with exceptional locations in Central London and expands our presence in a resilient segment of the merchanting market located at the heart of one of the world’s leading cities.”


January sales hit five-year low, as rising costs put pressure on household income


Sales in the first month of the year have dipped for the first time since 2013, with a sharp decline in high street spending (-4%) and slower growth in online (+1.5%). Household goods saw moderate declines in the month compared with the hardest-hit sectors, such as transport & communication (-6.5% on the year) and recreation & culture (-4.3%).


The figures are the latest from the


Visa UK Consumer Spending Index , which revealed that household spending fell by -1.2% year on year in January, following a -1% drop at the end of last year. The latest reduction was the quickest seen since last October, and indicates that spending has now fallen in eight of the past nine months. A major factor weighing on consumer spending is the sustained squeeze on income, as increases in living costs continue to outstrip growth in average earnings. Consumer confidence also remains relatively weak, says Visa, due to a combination of declining purchasing power, uncertainties tied to Brexit negotiations and signs of a slowing UK economy.


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