NEWS AkzoNobel Q2 results show margin improvement


AkzoNobel has reported its results for the second quarter of 2025. The paint and coatings manufacturer reports an adjusted EBITDA margin increased to 15 per cent, up from 14.4 per cent in the same quarter of 2024. Adjusted EBITDA totalled


€393m, which included a €24m negative currency impact. Organic sales remained flat while pricing rose by two percent. Revenue has declined six percent to €2.63bn, which the firm attributes to adverse currency movements.


The company generated


Group, with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.


€234m in net cash from operating activities in Q2 2025, compared with €151m in Q2


Leeds College of Building student wins British Gypsum Student of the Year Award


Leeds College of Building Level 1 Plastering student Reece Williams has been named ‘Student of the Year’ by partners at British Gypsum. His tutor Liam Addinall said he was “so pleased” for Reece, whose hard work over the year was rewarded with a trophy, a trowel set, and a gift voucher. Liam described Reece as “an outstanding student,” adding: “When he first joined my class as a full-time learner, he had very little prior experience in plastering. Since then, his progress has been exceptional. “Reece approaches every lesson with enthusiasm, arrives on time, and is always keen to improve. He’s been an absolute pleasure to teach. This award is well deserved, and I have no doubt there are big things ahead - possibly even SkillBuild!”


When asked how he felt


Travis Perkins opens new Salford branch


Travis Perkins has officially opened its new branch in Salford, strengthening its commitment to Greater Manchester’s building trade and supporting local construction with greater stock, service, and specialist support.


The brand-new Salford branch offers a comprehensive range of heavy and light side building materials, including timber, bricks, blocks, drainage, plasterboard, and landscaping products. With extended yard space, easy vehicle access,


4 DIY WEEK JULY 2025


2024. AkzoNobel also signed a binding agreement to sell AkzoNobel India to the JSW


Over the first half of 2025, adjusted EBITDA reached €750m, including a €31m currency headwind. The adjusted EBITDA margin stood at 14.3 per cent, slightly above the 14.1 per cent reported for the first half of 2024. Organic sales were unchanged, while revenue declined three percent due to currency effects. Price increases and cost-saving measures offset lower volumes and inflationary pressures. Net cash from operating


Double Solex win for Zest in its 20th anniversary year


about winning the award, Reece said: “I feel good. I didn’t expect to be nominated by so many teachers, but I’m happy my work has paid off.” For any students wishing to follow in his footsteps, Reece said his main piece of advice was to just focus. “Ignore any outside distractions like going out partying. Just focus on your work because obviously this is your future. You want to earn money. You want to work your way up.”


and experienced colleagues on hand to provide expert advice, the branch is designed to help customers get what they need quickly and efficiently - whether for smaller trade jobs or large- scale construction.


The spacious new site includes


a Hire service and an on-site Benchmarx Kitchens & Joinery showroom, providing the local trade and builders with everything they need in one convenient location – from materials and power tools to kitchen units and design expertise.


This latest opening is part


of Travis Perkins’ continued investment in its nationwide network of over 500 branches, designed to keep the UK’s trade moving with the right stock, expert advice, and dependable product availability.


“A successful event all round” was the verdict from timber garden furniture and decorative garden structure specialist, Zest about Solex 2025. The company won Best New Furniture Product Award for its Terraza Kitchen Island and Best New Individual Product Award for its Ludlow Corner Pergola. Head of Commercial Development, Simon Davison commented, “If the furniture category win wasn’t enough, we’re equally thrilled with the individual product award.


We also


saw some great customers and welcomed new ones to cement our Solex success.” Zest welcomed a host of customers to its stand as it unveiled its latest modular additions to its already award- winning Terraza Outdoor Kitchen range. This enables consumers to customise their own outdoor cooking areas. With infinitely flexible options to suit all lifestyles and available space, the Zest Terraza range is being marketed as ‘Your Kitchen; Your Way’. Zest has also added the award-winning Ludlow Corner


Pergola, the Truro Garden Shelter and a new three-seater bench and garden arbour in a rich brown finish.


The result


appeals to a diverse and younger audience as well as traditional Zest admirers. Zest’s MD Andrew Baker said: “The show has been fantastic for Zest, and our success on all fronts has been down to our huge commitment to understanding what todays’ consumers want.”


Travis Perkins named among World’s Greenest Companies by Newsweek


The rankings, created in collaboration with GIST Impact and Plant-A Insights Group, were built on 25 performance indicators. Eligibility for inclusion required companies to meet sustainability benchmarks aligned with EU standards, recognised globally as the most rigorous, and to demonstrate transparency through publicly available sustainability data. Companies must also employ over 1,000 people. Group Sustainability Director


Travis Perkins plc, parent company of the leading UK distributor of building materials, has been recognised as one of the world’s most environmentally responsible businesses, earning a prestigious five-star rating in Newsweek’s 2025 list of the World’s Greenest Companies.


The list, which ranked 750 of the world’s most sustainable publicly listed companies across 26 countries, highlighted top environmental performers and recognised those that achieved the highest five-star rating following a rigorous review of more than 8,000 businesses worldwide.


at Travis Perkins, Megan Adlen said: “We are delighted that our continued commitment to sustainability has been acknowledged on the global stage. This listing shows the commitment from our colleagues right across the business to reduce our environmental impact, maximise resource effectiveness, help our customers to meet their sustainability requirements and improve transparency in reporting on our sustainability goals.”


www.diyweek.net


activities for the half-year was 122m, an improvement over the negative 19m reported a year earlier.


AkzoNobel CEO Greg Poux- Guillaume (pictured left) said: “Our profitability increased in Q2, driven by pricing discipline and the structural benefits from our SG&A [selling, general and administrative] and industrial efficiency programmes. “This was achieved against a


backdrop of significant currency headwinds, due to the strength of the euro and generally tepid markets, highlighting the strength of our businesses.”


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