Weather boosts sales

The British DIY group Homebase posted a sales increase of 5.5 per cent over the same period in the previous year to GBP 445 mio in the first quarter (ended 31 May 2014) of its current fiscal year. Following the closure of one store, like-for-like sales were up 7.9 per cent. Better weather compared with last spring meant that seasonal ranges in particular contributed to growth, accounting for around 40 per cent of total revenue.