HAMPSHIRE-based DIY chain B&Q helped parent company Kingfisher report a jump in spring sales. B&Q saw like-for-like sales, stripping out income from new store space, jump 11 per cent over the 13 weeks to May 1 compared with the previous year - fuelled by strong sales of garden furniture and barbecues.

Overall like-for-like sales at Kingfisher, which earlier this month announced plans for an £18 billion merger with Asda, jumped six per cent Chief executive Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy said: "Overall this is a satisfactory start to the year in the face of strong comparatives with the previous year as well as continuing competitive pressure on margins and some unfavourable market conditions."

Since the comparable period last year, Kingfisher merged its B&Q operations with French giant Castorama, also adding two further continental retailers to its Comet electrical goods chain.

The deals helped push total sales in the quarter from £1.48 billion last year to £2.35 billion - a jump of nearly 60 per cent.

Castorama left room for improvement, however, after poor weather in the South of France hindered sales of garden goods and left like-for-like figures flat.

Woolworths' comparable sales were only 2.3 per cent ahead, with the lack of blockbuster video releases damaging revenues. The same quarter last year saw huge sales of The Full Monty and Men In Black, Kingfisher said.

New technology products such as multimedia and DVD helped drive sales forward at Comet, along with strong demand for so-called white goods such as fridges and washing machines.

The jump in turnover came despite widespread price cutting in the white goods market, indicating far more units were being sold.

Kingfisher said there were still no immediate plans to launch the group's free Internet access product, LibertySurf into the UK. It is currently being sold on the continent.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.