B&Q drives Kingfisher sales surge thanks to spring heatwave

B&Q owner Kingfisher posted an uptick in first quarter sales driven by seasonal demand at the British DIY chain.

Sales for the group – which also owns Screwfix – nudged up 1.8% on a like-for-like basis to £3.3bn in the three months to 30 April 2025.

This was driven by a 5.9% like-for-like increase to £1.7bn in its UK and Ireland business helping to offset a 3.2% decline in both France and Poland.

Kingfisher attributed the boost in group sales to strong growth of its seasonal categories, thanks to the warmer weather in the UK. It also reported a second quarter of underlying growth in ‘big-ticket sales’, supported by recent range reviews.

Ecommerce sales for the DIY group grew 9.3% and trade sales jumped 17% in the quarter, up from a 13% increase last year.

The retail giant reiterated its adjusted pre-tax profit guidance for the year of between £480m to £540m.

Kingfisher chief executive Thierry Garnier said: “We have made a good start to the year with underlying sales growth of 3.1%, market share gains in all key regions and further progress in our strategic priorities.

“Our UK banners performed particularly well, driven by strong seasonal sales and growth in trade and ecommerce. We have successfully completed the conversion of eight former Homebase stores, all of which will be operating under the B&Q banner by the end of May.

“France delivered sequential improvement, outperforming challenging market conditions, while Poland, as expected, experienced short-term volatility due to geopolitical factors.

“It is still early in the year and consumer sentiment remains mixed across our markets. We are focused on executing our strategic growth priorities, maintaining discipline on margin and costs, and driving shareholder returns. We are confident in delivering our full year guidance.”

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