Screwfix Sales Rocket As It Adds Catalogue Stores

Sales at online and catalogue retailer Screwfix have increased 17.8 per cent as it expanded the business by adding more stores.

Parent Kingfisher, which also owns DIY giant B&Q, increased like-for-like sales - sales at parts of the business open at least a year - by 6.6 per cent in the 10 weeks to July 13.

Kingfisher said the group was boosted by an increase in sales of seasonal products at B&Q which increased by 20 per cent compared to a year earlier and accounted for 40 per cent of sales.

Total UK and Ireland sales, including Screwfix and B&Q, increased 3.6 per cent and like-for-like sales increased 2.5 per cent. Sales at B&Q alone increased 1.7 per cent or 1.9 per cent on a like-for-like basis.


Kingfisher group chief executive Ian Cheshire, who is also chairman of the British Retail Consortium, said if not for long-term lease contracts he would close a quarter of B&Q's stores as more sales shift online. He has used that view as an argument for taxing online retailers.

His campaign has found support from supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and Morrisons but last weekend it was slammed by Next chief executive Simon Wolfson for being anti-competitive.