The consumer division of the British Travis Perkins Group, which includes the DIY store chain Wickes and the small store and professional sales channel Toolstation, has started the year badly. In the first quarter, its sales have dropped by 3.1 per cent compared to the same period last year. Although new retail space brought about an increase of 1.5 per cent, like-for-like sales still slumped by 4.6 per cent. In the Consumer division, Wickes suffered from a declining UK DIY market reflecting weak consumer sentiment, according to a statement on the quarterly report.