B&Q blames sales dip on wet Easter but predicts heatwave gain

B&Q owner Kingfisher expects to make a pre-tax profit of between £565m and £625m this year. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA

A wet and cold Easter hit sales of barbecues and garden products at the home improvement chain B&Q, but it hopes to make up lost ground during the current heatwave.

Kingfisher, which owns B&Q along with Screwfix in the UK, and Castorama and Brico Dépôt across six European countries, said like-for-like sales at established outlets in the UK and Ireland dipped 0.9% between February and April.