In a trading update for the 52-week period to September 26 published today, the home and DIY retailer said that trading over the fourth quarter “remained robustly positive”, which reflects the “robust home improvement market”.

The retailer said like-for-like sales were up 16.5% in the 13 weeks to September 26, which gave the board “confidence that the group will generate a modest level of adjusted profit before tax” for the financial year.