B&Q sales fall

DIY chain B&Q saw spring sales of outdoor seasonal products plunge by more than ten per cent as the retailer was hit hard by the prolonged cold spell. Takings on building products were also down in the quarter to May 4 as the DIY chain suffered the twin effects of weak consumer confidence and the bad weather earlier in the year. The slump in outdoor product trade – which contributes nearly a third of first-quarter total sales – left B&Q nursing a 5.6 per cent drop in like-for-like sales in the UK and Ireland. Parent company Kingfisher said group-wide sales fell by 4.2 per cent.

Members boost

Trade union membership in the Yorkshire region has grown by 16,000 over the past 12 months. New figures from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills show that union membership rose from 559,000 to 575,000 last year. Nationally, 59,000 more people signed up to unions – the first increase since 2003. Bill Adams, TUC regional secretary, said: “A 16,000 increase in trade union members in our region is a significant boost to the movement at a time when unions are under most pressure in responding to the Coalition’s austerity policies.”