NEWS


Homebase partners with Bosch and NEFF to strengthen its complete kitchen offering


flooring and tiling, with thousands of shades of paint from Dulux, Crown, Farrow & Ball, Craig & Rose, and Homebase’s very own paint range and more.


Homebase is strengthening its kitchen offering with the launch of Bosch and NEFF appliances, joining other leading brands such as Hotpoint, Smeg and Indesit, to bring customers even more choice when it comes to creating the latest home trends. The


new partnership will help customers complete their dream kitchen, along with all the other finishing touches including


This is supported by City & Guilds qualified designers who can help provide 3D designs for over 50 different kitchens. Free design consultations are available both virtually and in-store. Homebase also works with Home Projects to offer a complete kitchen installation service, including the full fitting of any appliances and undertaking any electrical, plumbing, tiling and flooring requirements. For peace of mind, all work comes with a two-year workmanship guarantee. Ian Penney, Business Director


Heatwave reduces high street footfall but tourist hotspots are boosted


Latest data from retail experts Springboard reveals that footfall across UK retail destinations rose marginally last week, by +0.8% from the week before, a far more muted result than the rise of +3.8% in the previous week. Despite the hot weather - which in fact may have proved too hot for shoppers - footfall declined in high streets by -0.5%. In contrast, in retail parks and shopping centres - the former being open air and easy to access and the latter benefiting from being climate controlled - footfall rose by +1.9% and +2.4% respectively. The extremely hot weather definitely helped tourist towns, with footfall increasing from the week before by +0.3% in coastal towns and by +0.9% in historic towns; seemingly marginal increases in both, but nevertheless a huge improvement on decreases of -4.1% and -2.5% in the same week last year when the weather was ten degrees cooler and rainy throughout the UK. The impact of the weather on London was as noticeable but in reverse; whilst footfall declined marginally last year in Central London from the week before by -0.8%, this year it fell by -4.5%, and in high streets across Greater London as a whole footfall dropped by -5.2% versus -2.3% in the same week last year. The increase in activity in retail parks means that footfall is now just 13.2% lower than last year in this destination type, compared with shopping centres and high streets where footfall in both remains over a third lower than in 2019.


GCA members discuss challenges of


for Homebase Room Solutions, said: “The kitchen is


the hub


of the home and we know our customers are looking for inspiration for how they can make their busy lives easier.


“Embarking on a kitchen


renovation can be daunting, but we’re here to take the pain out of the journey. Our knowledgeable in-store experts are on hand to turn dream designs and all those Pinterest ideas into reality. “A kitchen isn’t just units and worktops, the appliances, paint, flooring and tiling, accessories are just as important – and we have something for every taste. We’re really pleased to be partnering with Bosch and NEFF, to help bring our customers even more innovative and quality products.”


Hyve Group launches three virtual forums in September 2020


Hyve Group has announced Autumn Fair @ Home, Glee Gathering and Fashion Together (comprising Pure, Pure Origin, Moda and Scoop), three completely virtual forums happening


this September


(see preview in this issue). These forums will provide


exhibitors and attendees with the opportunity to showcase and discover new products, engage with suppliers via ‘The Virtual Showroom’, and hear market leading


content from retailers and trend forecasters on what


New home staging app launched by Lemon and Lime interiors


Leading home staging company Lemon and Lime Interiors has announced the launch of its brand- new app – Stageflow – which offers estate agents, property developers and home stagers the ability to evidence the benefits and return on investment when using a home staging service. The real-time data and reporting platform provides users with the ability to log and access home staging insights, enabling them to demonstrate the positive impact home staging has on property sales and ultimately encouraging sellers to use the service to speed up the sales process. Estate agents, developers and home stagers can use the app to download real-time text and visual reports that are filtered by date, location, property type and sale price - these reports can then be used to inform marketing materials, sent to potential clients and shared on social media.


TWITTER TRADE TALK


@DuluxDecCentre


2021 may hold for the industry and how they can kick-start their own sales now.


The event teams behind


Autumn Fair, Glee, Pure, Pure Origin, Moda and Scoop believe that these virtual forums are a key part in their new ‘Refuelling Retail’ initiative. This brand- new initiative calls for all market players to refuel the retail industry after a challenging first eight months of 2020. Autumn Fair @ Home, Glee Gathering and Fashion Together will be non-commercial events allowing existing customers to participate at no additional cost aiming to connect the industry this autumn as all national and international retail trade exhibitions had to be cancelled due to Covid-19.


Quality assurance at heart of new £2 billion green homes grants


re-opening restaurants and cafés Members of the Garden Centre Association (GCA) recently took part in a virtual forum to discuss the challenges they faced with the re-opening of restaurants and cafés. The forum was facilitated by Chris Brown of Turpin Smale Catering Consultants and attendees included principals, managers and catering managers, who were able to share ideas, information and best practice. Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, explained: “One of the biggest benefits of being a member of the GCA is being able to share best practice and ideas with other members and, as our regional meetings are unable to take place as they normally would at this time of year, we’ve decided to get together virtually instead. “It was a great opportunity for an open discussion with Chris Brown


at the helm. There were lots of points raised about how the re-opening of catering hasn’t been as clear cut as the re-opening of garden centres was back in May.”


6 DIY WEEK AUGUST 2020


Tradespeople are urged to sign up for TrustMark accreditation as part of the new Green Homes Grant scheme.


Builders, plumbers, and other tradespeople across England will need a government-backed seal of approval to provide their services as part of the new £2 billion Green Homes Grant going live at the end of September. The new scheme will see the government fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements of over 600,000 homes, supporting over 100,000 jobs in green construction. Tradespeople must register


for TrustMark or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)


accreditation to take part in the scheme, which will cover green home improvements ranging from insulation of walls, floors and roofs, to the installation of low-carbon heating, like heat pumps or solar thermal – measures that could help families save up to £600 a year on their energy bills. The government is setting out further details of the range of measures included and how consumers in England will be able to claim the new vouchers, which are worth up to £5,000 for homeowners. Households on low income can receive vouchers covering 100% of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £10,000.


Last week we asked for your back to work snaps. Take a look at some of the awesome back to work jobs you guys are up to! Keep it coming, we love seeing what you’re up to.


@QEP_Plasplugs It can be confusing to choose the right fixings for your walls, to help you find the right one our fixing packs are colour coded: Red: Hollow Wall Yellow: Solid Wall Black: All-in-one Green: Special Use #HomeImprovement #DIY #Fixings


@RAINYDAYTRUST Are you staying safe at home and not commuting into work? Why not donate 1 day’s commuting costs to RDT to help your colleagues? Text RAINY 5 to 70085 to donate £5 plus your standard message rate. Or text RAINY 10 or RAINY 20 to donate £10 or £20.


@scrubdaddy_uk Guess who’s back? Smiling face with open mouth and tightly-closed eyes Style Collection Scrub Daddy and Scrub Mommy are back in stock on @packingsorted Raising hands #ScrubDaddy


@BurbidgeRichard The interior trend Slow Connections


reflects


the hunger for a slower pace of life, encouraging craftsmanship and tactile surfaces. View our product ranges on our website,


inspired by Slow Connections. www.diyweek.net


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