Wickes sales hold up

The consumer division of Travis Perkins, an Irish trading group, increased its sales in 2012 by 13.2 per cent to £ 1.152 bn. The most important sales channel in the division is Wickes, a British DIY chain. Others belonging to the same division are Tile Giant, a specialist tiling channel and, since 2011, Toolstation (tools and hardware). The sales increase can first and foremost be attributed to this latest takeover. What is more, the acquisition of 13 Focus DIY stores in 2011 and their integration into the Wickes network has also had a positive effect. Last year, after four openings and one closure, the number of Wickes stores had grown by three to 224 outlets altogether.