NEWS


Wilko to open new stores in South Yorkshire


Value home and garden retailer, Wilko, has announced the opening of two new stores in the South Yorkshire region. Its new Cortonwood Shopping Park store, near Barnsley, will open on Wednesday, September 6. The retailer is set to give away £20 store gift cards to its first 100 customers on the day.


The opening will bring 60 jobs to the area, creating opportunities for both locals and existing team members from nearby stores.


To mark the special occasion a representative from Refuge will lead a ceremonial ribbon cutting along with Wilko retail director, Anthony Houghton, and Cortonwood branch manager, Rose Lowery Mcleen.


In addition, not far away, the company has signed a lease for a new 8,100sq ft store at Wheatley Retail Park in Doncaster.


Having expanded in recent years, the Park attracts more than four million shoppers a year. This new store will open with a new simplified team structure and bring over 60 jobs to the area.


Slightly softer sales trend for Clas Ohlson


Clas Ohlson has reported soft sales growth but strong earnings in the last quarter due to lower footfall during the summer months.


“We are closing the first quarter with sales of 1,783 MSEK (Swedish Krona), up 1% year-on-year. Operating profit increased by 33% to 100 MSEK,” said president and CEO Lotta Lyrå.


“Accordingly, we can report a slightly softer sales trend mainly with the latter half of the summer being weak. During the period we have experienced a challenge primarily in terms of traffic to stores and did not experience full leverage on our seasonal products.


“Nevertheless, we noted a number of successful product launches during the quarter,


such as our own Workwear by Clas Ohlson collection and more than 3,300 new products in all of our hardware, home and leisure, electrical and multimedia categories. Sales for August display the same trend as that seen in the quarter, totalling 671 MSEK and representing an increase of 1% compared with August 2016.


“Work on enhancing the relevance of our offering is progressing. We continued to develop our service offering in the summer months, for example, with the launch of tool hire and installation services, which we will see even more of in the future. Several exciting product launches in the pipeline include a new range of indoor lighting that was recently rolled out in our channels.


“A step toward greater availability for our customers is the focus on our compact store format. Clas Ohlson’s first Compact Store in Finland was opened during the quarter. “The new store in Helsinki offers a huge variety of smart


Retail figures for August show home improvement as the standout sector


In August, UK retail sales increased by 1.3% on a like- for-like basis from August 2016. On a total basis, sales rose 2.4% in the period covering July 30-August 26, against a decline of 0.3% in August 2016, which had been the poorest performance of the year. This is the strongest growth since Easter, according to the BRC – KPMG retail sales monitor.


Over the three months to August 2017, non-food retail sales in the UK increased 0.6% on a like-for-like basis. Online


It’s all change for Squire’s


Squire’s Garden Centre in Shepperton has unveiled plans to open a new Café Bar in early October. It will have a new Raffles style décor, flooring, lighting and various seating areas to choose from, including the main Café Bar, an afternoon tea area with piano, a coffee lounge with relaxing sofas, plus a special family-friendly area.


There will also be a new menu and a new style of service – customers will order at the till and receive an electronic tracker to wait with at the table. Deputy chairman Sarah Squire said: “The design theme is called ‘Vibrant’, which is one


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of three horticulture inspired concepts that we are rolling out to all our garden centres over the next few years.


“There will be lots of glass to let light in, botanical print wallpaper, tropical garden fabrics and wall art, painted furniture, glass pendant lighting, black and white chequered flooring and painted wooden shutters. The decision to make this investment was in part driven by customer feedback.”


Work started this week and the café will remain open. The new look design will be unveiled at a special ‘Prepare For Christmas’ shopping evening on Friday, October 20.


Elsewhere, Squire’s in Cobham is making a number of changes; its Café Bar will be extended to have a much larger seating area with stylish new furniture.


The change will coincide with a new winter menu.


Outdoor living products will move to a building currently housing aquatics where a new


showroom will be created. The current small aquatics department is closed but fish will continue to be sold at Squire’s centres in Twickenham and West Horsley, along with pond and aquarium products. The Cobham centre will be re-fitted throughout September, but it will remain open while the works take place.


sales of non-food products grew a healthy 11% in August, above both the three-month and 12-month averages of 9.8% and 8.8% respectively.


Homewares and home improvement were highlighted as standout areas in August, pointing to the influence of ‘staycations’ across the UK this year.


However, figures from the IMRG Capgemini Sales Index for August revealed that bad weather and continued economy uncertainty hit summer sales. Not only this, but shoppers have been heading online to seek out


better discounts and deals, the report said.


It showed that UK online retail sales grew by 11.1% in July, which is a 0.3% increase from June. Month-on-month performance was up 0.9%. As part of the Index, home and garden reported a second strong month, with 17% per cent growth.


IMRG’s report took into account that the summer sales period was underway and retailers were fighting against online events, such as Amazon Prime Day.


products and practical solutions in a smaller retail space but with greater availability.


“I see a solid basis for development and long-term growth and immense potential for new opportunities going forward.”


Home Hardware holds Meet the Buyer day


BHETA and GIMA have confirmed a Meet the Buyer event on Tuesday, October 17 at a hotel near Barnstaple, Devon with Home Hardware South West.


The company is looking for suppliers of products to feature in its key 2018 Home and Garden Brochure and Summer Leisure Brochure that will be distributed to over 1.2 million homes during 2018.


This initiative offers suppliers the opportunity to support and target new independent retail channels while reinforcing their commitment to the independent sector. Participants will be allocated a 20-minute appointment time with relevant buyers.


A maximum of two people from each supplier company will be allowed and suppliers are urged to concentrate on the features and benefits of the products they have to offer, supported by cost price proposals.


There is a charge of £99+VAT for GIMA members and £199+VAT for non- members. Nominated product categories and payment should be submitted no later than Friday, September 22.


8 SEPTEMBER 2017 DIY WEEK 3


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