Half-year sales inched forward for home improvement giant B&Q as sunny-weather product lines helped eliminate weak first quarter demand.

Sales in the three months to end July advanced 3.6 percent on a same-store basis (+3.9pc overall to £1bn), meaning half-year revenue was up around 1.0 percent.

That followed a 6 percent fall in the lower-grossing first quarter of its 2018–19 financial year.

B&Q said its performance was driven by strong sales of what it described as "weather-related categories."

Though it provided no further colour, this likely meant outdoor lines such as BBQs and outdoor furniture, rather than big-ticket bulky indoor goods such as its showroom programme of kitchens and bedrooms.