B&Q sales growth boosted by fans and paddling pools

DIY specialist B&Q has seen a 3.6% rise in like-for-like sales thanks to the long run of extreme hot weather.

The firm bounced back in the three months to 31 July - after taking a hit in the first quarter due to the wave of snow and cold weather dubbed the Beast from the East which saw its UK and Ireland revenues nosedive by 9%.

Sales of hosepipes, sprinklers and accessories were up by 400% on average, with the demand for the goods greatest in the last week of June, the firm said.

It also sold 305,000 fans and sold out of its paddling pool range - selling more than 60,000.

Other top sellers included garden furniture, outdoor pots, decking and wooden fencing.

Lawnmower sales were initially up by 9% but fell in later weeks due to lawns suffering from the heat, the firm said.

Owner Kingfisher posted group sales of £3.26bn for the second quarter, representing like-for-like sales growth of 1.6%.

Like-for-like sales were up by 4.2% across the UK and Ireland, but fell by 1% in France.

Sales at Screwfix were up by 5.5% - an improvement on the 3.6% posted for the first quarter (three months to 30 April).

The company blamed the results across the English Channel on weaker footfall and the impact of a revamp which is under way at its French home improvements retailer Castorama, which saw like-for-like sales dropping by 3.8%

Chief executive Veronique Laury said: "We started our transformation two-and-a-half years ago and are on track to deliver our strategic milestones for the third year in a row.

"In the second quarter, I'm pleased that we grew our sales after the exceptionally harsh weather conditions in the first quarter.

"In B&Q, Screwfix... we delivered good sales growth.

"However, the performance of Castorama France has been more difficult and as a result we have put additional actions in place to support our full year performance in France."

Kingfisher shares fell by 3.4% in early morning trade on Thursday, after the company reported weaker performance at its French brand, despite an overall turnaround in second quarter sales.