NEWS


Crown’s colourful murals brighten up Darwen


Crown Paints has teamed up with one of Lancashire’s most famous street artists to create two colourful murals in the Lancashire town of Darwen, where Crown’s HQ is located. The latest mural was completed by Keiron ‘Curly’ Whitehead in time for pupils at St Edwards RC primary School in Darwen to return to lessons at the start of the autumn term. The colourful mural, which features local landmarks and an uplifting message, brightens up the playground, providing a fun space for the children to enjoy. Better known as Curly, Keiron


The collaboration between


has been a graffiti artist for over 20 years and also works full time for the NHS, and like Crown, is based in Darwen.


Homebase signs long-term partnership with THG Ingenuity


already made in product range and


inspirational shopping


experiences over the last two years as part of the Homebase turnaround. It marks a bold new step that will accelerate Homebase to its vision of being the go-to place for the inspiration, expertise and products customers need for their home and garden projects from start to finish.


Homebase has announced a ten-year partnership with e-commerce Hut


specialist The Group (THG) and its


e-commerce services division, THG Ingenuity, to transform the online shopping experience for customers.


This partnership builds on the extensive investment


By Easter 2021, Homebase customers will have access to a new website, offering a range of new features, including ‘before and after’ pictures and design and style tools to help them turn their home and garden ideas into a reality. Improved navigation, shoppable multi-product images, instant ‘add to basket’ functionality, and new payment options including PayPal and Google Pay will make it even easier to shop from the wide range of products and create the latest home trends.


Tong Garden Centre shortlisted in


Yorkshire business excellence awards Neil Barwise-Carr is delighted with the news: “We’re a proud employer of 184 local people and our aim is to make sure that we attract,


Directors and staff at a Bradford Garden Centre are celebrating after being announced as a finalist


in the 15th annual


Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business awards. Tong Garden Centre has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Employer category that celebrates the employers who truly value and reward their staff, nurturing a culture that allows all employees to play a role in moving the company forward. Tong Garden Centre’s Head of People and Culture,


6 DIY WEEK OCTOBER 2020 recruit, retain and


develop great people, and that Tong continues to be a great place to work.


Crown and Curly began in May with the creation of a large mural designed as a tribute to the fantastic work of the local NHS and other key workers during the pandemic. The ‘blank canvas’ chosen for the mural was an end of terrace house on Hollins Road, just a few yards from Crown’s HQ. Curly created both murals using Sandtex X-Treme X-Posure smooth masonry paint in a range of vivid colours and all paint for both projects was donated by Crown via its Crown Decorating Centre in Blackburn.


Decorators talk about life on new Dulux Academy Podcast


There is a glossy new arrival to the world of podcasting as the Dulux Academy takes to the airwaves for the very first time. The Dulux Academy Podcast: Life as a decorator features the voices of the nation’s professional painters and decorators, talking about the subjects that matter most to them.. It’s been a turbulent time for decorators and each half-hour episode will allow professionals to share best practice, business tips and personal stories, on subjects as diverse as mental health,


the new normal and


how they are building up their businesses again. The podcast is hosted by Tony Pearson-Young


from the Dulux Academy, who has put down his brush and picked up a mic with ease. Tony explains: “In my usual


role teaching courses at the Dulux Academy, I see how much decorators enjoy nothing more than being around others in the profession, swapping stories and discussing how the latest news affects them.”


Gardening grows green shoots of optimism


The UK garden industry is well placed to be an engine of ‘green economic growth’ says the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), having published positive industry monthly sales figures (up 25% YOY) and a new consumer trend


analysis report detailing changing


consumer behaviours and how they’re here to stay. However, keeping garden centres open in the event of further restrictions is key to keeping this economic recovery and growth agenda and supporting physical and mental health wellbeing. The HTA’s Consumer Trends


Opportunities for Garden Businesses post-Covid report shows how the nation has adjusted to steps taken by government to guide people through the pandemic, with concerns for health and wellbeing and high levels of anxiety seeing people wanting to reconnect with nature and personal connections with domestic gardens strengthened as consumers


realise the benefits and relief they have provided during the crisis.


As the pandemic continues to pose a threat, consumer desire to be more self-sufficient,


to


create ‘healthy habitats’ and make ‘green’ home improvements drives consumer attitudes and behaviour. Looking to the Christmas period, the October Market Update also suggests potential after months of uncertainty. Garden centre sales showed strong growth in


and the


September, with sales up 25% nationally compared with September 2019. This was driven by sales of garden/gardening categories, particularly plants, seeds, tools and equipment. Indoor living and homewares and gifting categories are up 16% and 8% respectively on September 2019. Christmas is the second busiest time of the year


for garden centres and Christmas sales are 21% up on September 2019, indicating consumers are shopping early for Christmas.


Internet garden market set to achieve 25% growth in 2020


In 2020, the Internet garden products market is estimated to achieve growth of 25%, profiting from the surge in Internet usage as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the latest


Internet Garden market report from AMA Research, it


is likely


that online sales will continue to expand as social distancing measures


remain constraining in in-store place, retailing


for the remainder of 2020 and potentially into 2021.


Online shopping is following an upward trajectory, with 87% of UK adults shopping online in 2020. As both fixed and mobile Internet speeds increase, and smartphone ownership expands, it is likely that more consumers will use the Internet for shopping in the coming years. Consumers are also becoming


increasingly aware that cheaper prices can be found online,


with price comparison websites facilitating easy comparisons. Product research via blogs, reviews, social media and YouTube is likely to cause an increase in online purchases. During April, May and June


Internet sales accounted for 31% of total retail sales in the UK, compared to 19% in 2019. Correspondingly, the value of the Internet garden market has risen significantly in 2020. In addition, demand for garden products was notably high during lockdown with consumers spending more time at home.


The hardest places to get planning permission revealed


As part of a new renovation study, Roofing Megastore analysed three years of planning


application data


from the Ministry of Housing, to discover where planning applications


are most and


least likely to be granted around the country. The online roofing merchant calculated the percentage of applications granted and rejected at more than 300 district planning authorities around the country, and the results show on average 91% of applications are successful. But, depending on where you live, the success rate for your local area could be as low as 65%, or as high as 99%. Eight out of the top 10 most


difficult places to get planning permission are in London, with Londoners spending a massive £21 million over the past three years on unsuccessful applications.


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