Following today’s release of Kingfisher’s figures for the 13 weeks ending 31 October 2025; Matt Walton, retail analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view: “Kingfisher has improved its profit guidance for the second consecutive quarter, going from the upper range of £510-£550m to £540-£570m, aided by its continued development of its UK online offer and a resilient performance from Screwfix. The group also remains on course to achieve cost savings of around £120m for the year. UK & Ireland revenue grew by 4.2% (on a reported basis) with big ticket being the star performer, up 5.9% on a like-for-like (l-f-l) basis, outperforming the kitchen & bathroom market. The continued roll out of its improved range architecture in kitchen – Essential, Select and Signature – has enabled it to trade customers up and attract more affluent shoppers while retaining more price sensitive customers. Core sales grew by 3.2%, marking the 11th consecutive quarter of l-f-l growth, while seasonal struggled, down 0.7%, as the warmer weather led to heating purchases being deferred.
“Screwfix was the better performing of the two UK fascias with growth of 4.4% compared to the 3.8% uplift which B&Q recorded. Screwfix has benefited from the opening of six new stores and the launch of a new loyalty app but it has also managed to achieve an impressive l-f-l performance of +3.3%. Its focus on trade customers, which have more consistent spending, has undoubtedly supported this uplift and its development of online and rapid fulfilment resonates well with a customer group that prioritises convenience. This is a positive performance considering that the competition in this sector is intensifying, especially from Wickes’ TradePro offer. With fulfilment already at an exceptionally high level, Screwfix should lean more into developing its loyalty scheme to retain customers.
“Comparing B&Q and its closest competitor Wickes, the two are broadly in-line for big ticket performance with Wickes’ l-f-l sales rising 7.0% in its design and installation for the three months to September 2025 compared to B&Q being +7.1% but Wickes is ahead in core DIY. Wickes recorded a 5.6% uplift l-f-ls in its retail proposition while B&Q recorded just a 2.3% increase. Wickes has made paint and decorative DIY a particular focus recently, continuing its partnership with both Crown Paints and the former pop singer Kimberly Walsh in this area, which has helped it attract a wider customer base. With Wickes also developing online, reducing its click & collect time to 15 minutes, B&Q should focus on its service levels as a next step. It could utilise the wider customer base that it has achieved through its marketplace offer to educate shoppers on conducting DIY projects to improve loyalty and increase volumes.”
