Sales boost for B&Q and Screwfix owner amid rush for energy-saving products

Kingfisher says sales of loft insulation roll more than double while smart thermostats rose by nearly a third

The B&Q owner, Kingfisher, has reported higher sales as fears over higher gas and electricity costs boosted demand for energy-efficient products including insulation roll and smart thermostats.

The retail group, which also owns the hardware trade supplier Screwfix, said customers who invested in a raft of energy-saving DIY products helped increase group sales by 0.6% to 3.3bn in the three months to October. When stripping out the impact of the weaker pound, sales were up 1.7%.