Kingfisher sales hit by rain
Kingfisher has blamed wet weather in April for a fall in sales at its B&Q chain.
Sales dipped by 12 per cent at B&Q in the UK and Republic of Ireland in the 13 weeks to 28 April, compared with the same period last year.
The DIY specialist’s like-for-like sales across all of its global markets dropped by 4.8 per cent in the quarter.
One of its best performing markets was france where sales lifted by 0.7 per cent.
Chief executive Ian Cheshire said: “We anticipated the first quarter would be challenging, compared with last year’s strong growth which was boosted by favourable spring weather and public holidays.
“But an extremely wet April this year in the UK and France compounded the difficulty, adversely impacting sales of outdoor and seasonal categories.”