Howdens UK Sales Up 6.8% Since June, Record TradeFest

This week’s four items, all published between 2 and 5 November 2026, cover the UK’s biggest trade kitchen supplier, a warning to online shops about delivery charges, the government’s changes to design law, and a mains adaptor withdrawn over a fire risk. The first two have a direct bearing on what you pay for a kitchen or a piece of furniture.

Howdens: UK sales up 6.8%, record sales at its peak trading period

Howden Joinery Group, which sells kitchens and joinery to builders through 893 UK depots, published a trading update on 5 November covering 14 June to 31 October 2026. UK sales rose 6.8% on a year earlier, and 5.0% so far this year. Those figures include DIY Kitchens, the online kitchen seller Howdens bought on 23 June. Counting DIY Kitchens in both years, UK sales were up 1.8% for the period and 2.4% for the year to date, “in challenging macro-economic conditions”. Howdens says it had record sales during TradeFest, its peak trading period, and that its efficiency programmes “are supporting competitive pricing” and “helping to mitigate inflationary pressures”. It expects full-year profit in line with market forecasts, which average £361m.

Why it matters: Howdens sells only to the trade, so most homeowners meet its prices through a builder or fitter. Growth of under 2% like for like, in a slow market, gives you room to ask for the units to be quoted separately from fitting. DIY Kitchens, which sells online to homeowners, is now part of the same group, which is worth knowing if you are comparing the two. Our new kitchen cost guide gives typical prices, and the online kitchen planner guide explains how the trade and online routes differ.

CMA: delivery charges must be in the first price you see

The Competition and Markets Authority published an open letter to online retailers on 2 November, reminding them that any delivery fee you cannot avoid must be included in the total price and shown up front. The price has to include it at every stage where a price appears: adverts, product pages, baskets, checkout and payment. The CMA said some businesses are still not complying and that it may use its enforcement powers. Furniture News reported that the CMA has already fined four businesses more than £5.1m in total for drip pricing.

Why it matters: delivery is a real cost on sofas, beds and large furniture, and it is often where a cheap-looking price stops being cheap. If a retailer adds a compulsory delivery charge only at checkout, that is the practice the CMA is warning about. Compare totals, not headline prices; our furniture budget calculator helps you plan a room with delivery included.

Design law reforms, but no criminal offence for copying unregistered designs

The government set out its reforms to the UK designs system on 4 November, its response to a consultation by the Intellectual Property Office that closed in November 2025. The IPO will get powers to check whether a design is genuinely new before registering it, aimed at people who register someone else’s design and use it to have a rival’s listings taken down from online marketplaces. Registered design cases will be able to go to the small claims track of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court for the first time, with compensation capped at £10,000. Designers will also be able to delay publishing a registered design for up to 30 months. The government ruled out making it a criminal offence to copy an unregistered design deliberately.

The campaign group Anti Copying In Design called that decision a failure of Britain’s designers, because most of them rely on unregistered design rights rather than registering their work. For anyone commissioning bespoke furniture, joinery or lighting, it is a reminder that who owns a design is something to settle in writing; our interior design contract guide covers what designers usually keep and what you receive.

A 12V power adaptor withdrawn over a serious fire risk

The Office for Product Safety and Standards published a product safety report on 4 November on an AC-DC 12V 5A power supply adaptor, model CJ-1205, branded LEDSone UK Ltd. Its mains plug has no suitable fuse and does not meet the British plug standard, BS 1363: the live and neutral pins are too narrow, the plastic pin that sits where an earth pin would be is too short, and the plug fails the insulation requirements. It was also sold without instructions or safety information. LEDSone UK Limited (Electricalsone) has withdrawn it from the market, after a report by local authority trading standards.

Why it matters: plug-in 12V adaptors like this are often used to power LED strip lights in kitchens and under cabinets. If you have one with model number CJ-1205, stop using it. For any lighting scheme, buy power supplies from a seller who gives full instructions and a UK address, and have a qualified electrician fit anything wired in. Our room lighting calculator helps you work out how much light a room needs.