Store helps ease B&Q slide

An encouraging performance from B&Q's revamped Wednesbury store offered one of the few crumbs of comfort for the DIY giant today, as it revealed another dose of falling profits.

B&Q owner Kingfisher blamed a weak home improvement market for a 1.1 per cent fall in like-for-like sales - not including new stores - in the 13 weeks to October 28.

Profits at the B&Q chain slipped to £46.6 million from £50.3 million a year earlier.

Kingfisher described the UK market as "weak and price sensitive" but added it remained on course with its programme to improve stores and offer new ranges.

This has involved revamping stores at Wednesbury, Gillingham and Cribbs Causeway, near Bristol. Another eight revamps are now under way and a further 25 are planned next year.

The 140,000 sq ft Wednesbury store, opened by Olympic badminton silver medallist Gail Emms this summer, has ditched the old fashioned warehouse look for a more female-friendly approach - brighter and more colourful with big kitchen and bathroom showrooms and an extra 4,000 product lines.

Each revamp costs around £4 million but B&Q said the results so far were "encouraging".

The whole of the Kingfisher group lifted like-for-like sales by 2.3 per cent with retail profits for the quarter up 10.5 per cent to £173 million.