Good weather and extended public holidays helped B&Q boost sales in the UK and Ireland by 1.5% to almost £1.1bn during February to April.
Seasonal categories were up around 15% with garden furniture and outdoor paint ranges performing well, although indoor project sales conversely were down around 10%.
Parent Kingfisher said retail profits for the UK and Ireland grew by 10.1% during the first three months of its financial year to April 30. Gross margins were down because of a higher mix of lower margin seasonal products and promotions.
Kingfisher also confirmed it spent £23m on buying up 31 leasehold properties from the administrators of Focus DIY.
Including the Screwfix chain, whose sales grew 5.4% to £124m, total sales for the UK and Ireland were up 1.9% to £1.19bn with retail profits up 14.7% to £83m. Worldwide, Kingfisher boosted sales 4.7% to £2.7bn with retail profits up 20.1% to £174m.
“Whilst we have got off to a good start, it remains our view that this year is likely to be tough for all retailers in the UK,” said group chief executive Ian Cheshire. “It is also likely that the early spring weather will have brought forward some of our outdoor seasonal sales.”
