Following today’s release of Wickes’ full year results for the 52 weeks ending 27 December 2025; Ashley Adeyemi, retail analyst at GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform, offers her view: “Wickes has delivered a standout set of FY2024/25 results, executing a turnaround that sees the business move decisively beyond last year’s underperformance. Group revenue rose 5.9% while adjusted profit before tax increased 14.4% to £49.9m, ahead of expectations, underlining how effectively the retailer has rebuilt momentum across the business. Retail revenue increased 6.5% to £1,208.9m, with like-for-like growth of 5.7% driven by positive volume gains. TradePro once again led performance, with sales up 9%, underlining Wickes’ continued relevance to trade customers, even as more cautious purchasing behaviour limits basket size. However, the more notable shift is the return to growth in DIY, which delivered mid-single digit gains through higher transaction volumes. Improvements in fulfilment, product range, and store expansion have enhanced Wickes’ appeal in terms of value, convenience, and choice. This result marks a meaningful improvement in non-trade retail, which had been a point of weakness in FY2024. It signals that Wickes is no longer solely reliant on trade for growth, with its enhanced offering increasingly resonating across both professional and consumer segments.
“Design & Installation (D&I) has returned to growth after underperforming in recent years, with revenue up 4.4% and both ordered and delivered sales now in sustained positive territory, signalling a genuine turnaround. This improvement has been driven by targeted changes to its proposition, with Wickes simplifying the customer journey by replacing its telephone booking system with instant online appointment booking, improved consultant availability, and installation scheduling. Alongside this, store refits have strengthened the visibility of kitchens and bathrooms instore, supporting engagement with higher-value projects. Wickes is also extending this model into adjacent categories through solar, where it has introduced more transparent pricing, a clear financing offer and an online cost estimator, helping to demystify what is a complex purchase. Crucially, the next phase of this evolution will be supported by the rollout of new design software in 2026, enabling faster and more inspirational planning, which should further improve conversion in big-ticket projects. These changes create a more coherent and accessible D&I proposition, repositioning the division as a credible driver of growth.
“Wickes continues to invest in its store estate and format evolution, with plans to open four to five new stores and refit or refresh 15 to 20 sites in 2026, as it works towards a longer-term ambition of reaching 300 stores. A greater focus on smaller footprint locations will enable Wickes to access more urban and underserved catchments, bringing it into more direct competition with B&Q Local in convenience-led locations. Wickes is already gaining ground through sharper execution, with Q3 showing the two broadly neck and neck in big-ticket categories (such as Wickes’ D&I arm and kitchen and bathroom for B&Q), but with Wickes ahead in core DIY, reflecting stronger performance in everyday spend. Structurally, Wickes also benefits from a more developed tiered proposition across both kitchens and bathrooms. With B&Q’s full year results due next week, it will be telling to see whether it can match Wickes’ pace of improvement or whether Wickes continues to pull ahead.”
