Kingfisher, Europe's biggest home improvements retailer, beat forecasts with a 40% jump in first-quarter profit as its B&Q stores benefited from warm weather and steps to boost profit margins.
The firm, which also runs market leader Castorama in France, said it made a retail profit of £128m sterling in the 13 weeks ended May 2, smashing analysts' average forecast of £94m in a company poll.
Sales at stores open at least a year fell 1.7% and the group said it was planning for tough trading conditions for the rest of its financial year as the weather-related surge in demand at B&Q was unlikely to be repeated.
But Kingfisher, which runs 833 stores in eight countries including Ireland, also said B&Q was making good progress with its turnaround plan after struggling with a weak housing market.
Like-for-like sales at B&Q rose 3.2%, the first increase in two years. Sales of outdoor products leapt 30%, almost reversing a plunge in the same time last year when spring weather was poor.
Like-for-like sales fell 2.8% in France and were down 6.3% in other international markets, where a big fall in China was cushioned by a flat performance in Poland.
Kingfisher shares fell as much as two-thirds in value in 2007-8 as Britain's housing market slumped, but have bounced back recently on hopes for an economic recovery and a series of self-help measures such as cost-cutting and store revamps.
