A bigger market share for Travis

The rival to Focus DIY, which last week fell into administration, said it had made gains in like-for-like market share between January 1 and April 30.

The gains came across the group, including its Wickes DIY business and plumbing supplies chain BSS, despite the wider market delivering “little or no growth”.

In a trading update, Travis Perkins said group turnover for the four months to the end of April was up 5.9 per cent.

Travis Perkins is one of the largest suppliers to the UK’s building and construction industry with a network of more than 600 branches.

The group saw like-for-like turnover per trading day in its merchanting division increase 12.8 per cent, with same-store turnover at Wickes up 1.9 per cent.

It said its kitchen and bathroom sales were down 12 per cent in the period, reflecting low consumer confidence for buying big-ticket items.

Travis said its acquisition of BSS, which reported like-for-like turnover growth of 0.2 per cent, was still on course to deliver benefits previously outlined and that its integration was progressing well.

With 439 branches in the UK and annual revenues of £1.35bn, the deal made Travis the leading player in the trade and retail distribution of plumbing and heating products.

Travis chief executive Geoff Cooper said: “We continue to take market share against a tough market backdrop.”