'Sun is shining for B&Q and supermarkets' - why gloriously warm early summer made us rush to the shops

The firm said recent sunshine saw demand rocket across its garden and seasonal ranges, helping UK and Ireland like-for-like sales jump 5.9 per cent higher in the three months to April 30 .

Sales of seasonal products alone soared by nearly a third across B&Q and were 21.2 per cent higher for Screwfix.

Kingfisher said seasonal products accounted for more than a fifth of all group-wide sales in its first quarter.

But it added that some of the strong sales growth was likely to have been "pulled forward" from second-quarter trading.

It comes as UK supermarkets also revealed a huge rise in sales of summer groceries, including burgers and sausages for the barbecue.

Kingfisher's update showed that trading challenges remain across its operations in France, where it trades as Castorama and Brico Depot, as well as Poland , with sales down by 4.9 per cent and 0.4 per cent respectively in reported currencies.

Overall, group-wide like-for-like sales lifted 1.8 per cent on a constant currency basis and the group said it remains on track for full-year underlying pre-tax profits of around £480 million to £540 million.

Kingfisher chief executive Thierry Garnier said: "Our UK banners performed particularly well, driven by strong seasonal sales and growth in trade and e-commerce.

But he added a note of caution despite the better-than-expected first-quarter figures, adding: "It is still early in the year and consumer sentiment remains mixed across our markets." 

Kingfisher also confirmed that it does not expect any direct hit from global trade tariff woes, as it has no US sales or operations and sources most of its products in Europe from the same country in which they are sold, while between 20 per cent and 25 per cent of items are also sourced from Asia .¶

"We therefore expect little direct impact from any potential changes in cross border tariffs, but remain watchful of any broader impact on both inflation and market demand," it said.

Despite the sales rebound, shares in Kingfisher fell 3 per cent in morning trading on Wednesday, having risen strongly in recent weeks.

Chris Beauchamp , chief market analyst at global trading and investing platform IG, said: "It seems Britons' first impulse on seeing the sun is to start doing some DIY, if Kingfisher's results are any indication.

"Up 16 per cent so far this year, the shares have been a haven from tariff volatility, though the update didn't offer much to extend the rally in the short term."

Meanwhile, separate figures reveal that grocery price inflation has surged to 4.1 per cent, the highest point since February last year. 

The figure is a marked rise from last month's 3.8 per cent, and takes the UK into "new territory", analysts Kantar said. 

Prices are rising fastest in markets such as chocolate confectionery, suncare, and butters and spreads, and are falling fastest in dog food, cat food and household paper products. 

Fraser McKevitt , head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: "This latest jump in grocery price inflation takes us into new territory for 2025. 

"Households have been adapting their buying habits to manage budgets for some time, but we typically see changes in behaviour once inflation tips beyond the three per cent to four per cent point as people notice the impact on their wallets more. 

"Own-label lines are ones to watch, with premium own-label in particular being the fastest-growing part of the market since September 2023 ." 

Kantar said customers' spending on deals was up by 5.1 per cent on May last year as prices rise. However, May's hot weather also saw Britons sending sales of chilled burgers up 27 per cent, potato salad up 32 per cent, and coleslaw and prepared salads up by 19 per cent each. Sales of sun cream were up 36 per cent. 

Meanwhile, latest shopping basket figures suggest consumers are increasingly shaping their diets around health, wellbeing and exercise, with sales of sports nutrition products surging by 45 per cent over the past five months compared with the same period last year. 

Ocado marked a full year as Britain's fastest-growing grocer, with sales climbing by 14.9 per cent. Aldi and Lidl achieved their strongest combined growth since January 2024 at 8.4 per cent, with Lidl reaching a new market share high of 8.1 per cent with sales up by 10.9 per cent and Aldi's hold of the market reaching a record high at 11.1 per cent with sales rising by 6.7 per cent. 

Tesco boosted its sales by 5.9 per cent to increase its share to 28 per cent of the market, while sales growth at Sainsbury's accelerated by 4.7 per cent to give it a 15.1 per cent share. Despite high-profile cybersecurity incidents recently, spending on groceries at Marks & Spencer rose by 12.3 per cent.