Builders' merchant Travis Perkins (TPK) delivered like-for-like sales growth of 5.7 per cent in the third quarter, thanks mainly to a string of initiatives to restructure its branch network.
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The general merchanting side has now seen sales growth of 13.3 per cent in the first nine months of the financial year, boosted by a better performance from the Wickes retail chain. However, the plumbing and heating side continues to struggle, with sales down 5.1 per cent in the third quarter, although there was still growth in the first nine months of 3 per cent. Business here was up against some strong comparatives, with last year's numbers boosted by the effects of government incentive schemes on new boiler installations.