NEWS
Vigar’s FLAP receives prestigious Red Dot design award
Vigar, known for its innovative and sustainable home products, has been recognised for its nesting trays, a clever solution to keep your home clean and organised. The Red Dot Award is positioned as one of the largest and most prestigious design competitions in the world. Internationally recognised, the Red Dot distinctive has become synonymous with design excellence. With a focus on three distinct disciplines, this
award celebrates diversity in design on a global scale, with competitions held annually. The winning product is FLAP
by Vigar, an original set that consists of four trays nested within each other. The set takes up very little space when not in use, offering a practical solution for storage. Its elegant handles facilitate sophisticated serving, while its ideal dimensions allow you to serve a variety of dishes and appetisers comfortably. This set of four multipurpose
trays has been selected from thousands of participants around the world as an outstanding example of innovative design, remarked by receiving the Red Dot award, along with an honourable mention in the European Design Awards, another prestigious competition that recognizes and rewards excellence in design in Europe. It is the latest achievement
B&Q announces appoints new Director of Responsible Business
B&Q has announced the appointment of Joanna Gluzman as its new Director of Responsible Business from 1st July.
Joanna has over 25 years of experience spanning ESG and investor relations, most recently at PZ Cussons, a FTSE 250 FMCG company as chief sustainability officer overseeing the sustainability strategy and implementation internationally. Joanna has also held senior positions as group director of sustainability for Avon Cosmetics and group director of ESG engagement at the BT Group. When discussing her new appointment, Joanna said: “I am excited to join B&Q, a business with a mission to help with improving customers’ living
Paul White, Commercial
environments. The opportunity we have in helping millions of people to make sustainable choices is huge and I am looking forward to working with the B&Q team to take the already fantastic achievements in this area to the next level.’
Zest ups the game on mind fundraising with latest charity walk
A 38-strong team from garden furniture, grow your own and decorative garden structure specialist, Zest, and its parent, the P&A Group, has completed a 24-hour charity walk over a 1.5-mile lap. The route took them around head office, the pallets and packing division and the Woodworks Garden Centre in Mold, Flintshire, all in aid of North East Wales Mind, the chosen charity for 2024. Total miles walked by the team was 325.5 and the money raised via donations and gift aid means Zest is likely to reach its 2024 fundraising target of £10k for the year within a record six months. The team comprised both locally based employees as well as those who completed
4 DIY WEEK JULY 2024
Director, B&Q said: “I’m delighted to welcome Joanna to the B&Q team. She is highly regarded and experienced and is an extremely strong addition to our leadership team. “Joanna’s appointment is an important pivot point in building our internal and external credibility across all our ESG topics, with a particular focus on sustainability. We look forward to benefitting from her expertise and insight in leading this important pillar of our strategy.” As Director of Responsible Business, Joanna will be responsible for leading B&Q’s sustainability strategy and overall roadmap, ensuring its delivery across the company and on B&Q’s journey to carbon net zero.
completing a couple of laps or going above and beyond by walking over 20 miles, (and five team members did!), all efforts are deeply appreciated. I would like to give a special mention to Martin McGrane and Liam Ali, who walked throughout the entire night to ensure the challenge was successfully accomplished. This level of commitment is unbelievable, and the dedication showed is a testament to our team spirit.
the distance remotely, with colleagues as far as Scotland taking part. Zest’s managing director,
Andrew Baker commented: “It was truly inspiring to see so many of our dedicated employees come together to tackle the 24-hour challenge. The willingness to volunteer time exemplifies the strong sense of teamwork that defines our organisation. Whether
“This event showcased shared values and commitment to supporting both our colleagues and the charities that make a difference in our community. It was also a fantastic opportunity to boost our personal fitness and well being, as spending time in the great outdoors is massively beneficial for mental health. I’m hopeful that the sponsorship raised from this event will bring us within sight of our £10,000 goal for the year for this great cause.”
in Vigar’s outstanding career in designing functional products for the home. The company remains committed to continually improving its designs and hopes to continue inspiring through its future releases.
Adverse
June weather conditions hit garden centre sales
Bira says
inflation figures are encouraging
In its July Market Update, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) reports that challenging trading conditions for garden centres continued in June 2024. Despite a general improvement in consumer confidence, ongoing adverse wet weather significantly affected sales in core gardening categories. Fran Barnes, Chief Executive of the HTA, commented: “In June 2024, we saw a 3% decrease in garden centre sales compared to June 2023. The bad weather has been a common theme for 2024. Sunshine hours in June, which are always critical to sales performance, were at just 72% of the levels for June 2023— days which also saw rainfall increase compared to 2023, making for challenging trading in garden categories. “There isn’t anything that we can do as the HTA to change the weather, but what we can and are going to do is champion the importance of our sector to the new government to ensure they put in place policies and regulations that will help mitigate the effects of this volatile weather and ask that they review the funding available to SMEs to adapt to
The British Independent Retailers Association has said recent figures from the BRC- Nielsen Shop Price Index are encouraging for retailers. Speaking about the report, Bira, which works with over 6,000 independent businesses of all sizes across the UK, said encouraging figures, now was the time for policy makers to support the high street. Shop Price annual inflation eased to 0.2% in June, down from 0.6% in May. This is below the three-month average rate of 0.5%. Shop price annual growth is its lowest since October 2021. Non-Food remained in deflation at -1.0% in June, down from -0.8% in the preceding month. This is below the 3-month average rate of -0.8%. Inflation is its lowest since October 2021. Andrew Goodacre, Bira CEO said: “These latest inflation indicators are again encouraging and show that retailers are doing their best to create economic growth. With shop price annual inflation easing to just 0.2% in June, we’re seeing retailers’ efforts bear fruit. These figures present two key opportunities. “Firstly, for the Bank of England
to reduce interest rates, which could further stimulate consumer spending. The second opportunity is for the new government to address the concerns of retailers by reducing the heavy burden of business rates and reforming corporation tax for smaller retailers. With food inflation decelerating and non-food prices in deflation, it’s clear our shops are working hard to keep prices down. Now is the time for policymakers to support their efforts and foster a more favourable business environment,” he added.
our ever-changing climate. “Consumer confidence in June 2024 improved for the third consecutive month, reaching -14, the highest score since November 2021. This increase is attributed to a falling inflation rate and a more optimistic view of the country’s general economic situation.
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