Irish building materials group, Grafton, has said it is open to making acquisitions this year, but only at the right value.

Woodies DIY is prepared to invest in a plan aimed at securing the survival of the Atlantic Homecare DIY store chain, the High Court heard yesterday.

SIPTU has welcomed the decision by the High Court to keep open two Atlantic Homecare stores which had been marked for closure.

Grafton Group has reported a 4% year-on-year rise in first-half turnover, to €1.05 billion; adding that detailed half-year figures will be “in line with expectations”.

An examiner is expected to be appointed to the DIY chain Atlantic Homecare in the High Court this morning.

Wallpaper is no brief fad, says Carol O’Callaghan, we continue to be seduced by its textures and shimmering surfaces.

DIY chain Atlantic Homecare has been placed in examinership following an application by the company to the High Court in Dublin today.

Carol O’Callaghan says the kitchen is the hub of any house so make sure the look works for you

Group revenue at Irish building materials giant, Grafton was up by 5.3% on a year-on-year basis in the first four months of this year, but further declines have been seen in its operations here.

Grafton Group is targeting a further operating profit increase and “modest” turnover growth this year, but has warned that cost cutting measures could result in some job losses.

TURNOVER at builders’ merchants group Grafton last year grew by 2.5% to around €2.05 billion, the company has said.

DIY and building supplies firm, Grafton, which owns the Woodie’s brand, said the economic environment in Ireland is likely to make trading conditions challenging for some time ahead.

BUILDERS’ merchants group Grafton is being linked with more acquisition movement as consolidation in the international merchanting sector heats up.

SHARES in builders’ merchanting group Grafton dropped by nearly 8.7% yesterday on the back of the company saying that recovery in its key markets remains slow.

GRAFTON Group saw its revenues increase by 4%, year-on-year, during the first four months of this year.

DIY giant Atlantic Homecare is to close its Donegal store, with the loss of 18 jobs.

BUILDERS providers and DIY merchants, Grafton Group, have reported sales were marginally ahead up to the end of October 2010.

A former pupil of a Clondalkin secondary school, who dressed up as the Batman character The Joker and set fire to the building, causing more than €1m worth of damage, has been given 240 hours community service in lieu of a two-year jail sentence.

Builders providers Grafton have announced a before-tax profit of €13.4m for the six months to the end of June, up from €3.7m in the same period last year.

GRAFTON Group has said that its turnover for the first half of this year was down slightly, on a year-on-year basis, but that operating profit is ahead.

SHARES in building material group Grafton were up by 15% in late trading yesterday, despite a sharp reversal in its profit performance in 2009.

Builders merchants and DIY retail group Grafton believes the end of the dramatic contraction in building activity here and in the UK may be in sight.

GRAFTON group, the largest builders merchants in Ireland, is on course for improved results next year despite a 28% revenue drop to €1.69 billion in the year to the end of October.

GRAFTON Group, the largest builders merchants in Ireland, saw a 31% fall in first-half sales to €990 million reflecting the deepening recession in construction.

Turnover at Grafton, the builders' merchants and DIY group which includes Woodie's and Atlantic Homecare, has fallen by €220 million for the first three months of the year.

Building materials group Grafton has seen a 50% plunge in profits for the first half of the year, down from €106.4m to €53.4m.

PATIO heaters are no longer being stocked by big retailers after it emerged they use the same amount of energy in one hour as it takes to boil 400 cups of tea.

DIY and builders merchants group Grafton has reported a 30% rise in pre-tax profit last year.

WELLINGTON Market Company is set to pay €2.2 million for a fruit market in Cornwall.

BUY4NOW, the Dublin-based online grocery and shopping portal site, is forecasting net profits of between €800,000 and €1 million for its current financial year, following strong growth in the year to the end of March.

GRAFTON Group delivered strong results in line with market expectations last year. It was a two-sided story, however, with the Irish division delivering exceptional results while performance in the British market was flat.

AROUND €140 million was wiped off the value of the Grafton group yesterday as its shares tumbled 7% after a major British rival warned of a slowdown in the building materials market.

SHARES in Grafton Group slid 4% yesterday after the building materials specialist reported strong first-half results but warned it would let 150 staff go in Britain to cope with a slowdown there.

THE strengthened Grafton Group is expected to report solid profits for 2004 with no surprises in store for the markets.

Householders throughout north Dublin were left without water supplies overnight due to a broken main in the Ballycoolen area.

The ISEQ failed to build on yesterday's gains as it closed down 19.84 points at 6397.69 today.

The ISEQ is staying in positive territory - just - after morning trade saw it 1.82 points up, to 6419.35 , at lunchtime.

An armed raid has taken place on a security van in Newbridge, Co Kildare, this afternoon.

THE long-awaited deal to match up Ireland’s leading builders merchants and DIY chains was finally hammered out last night, when Heiton’s board recommended the terms of a takeover offer from Grafton to its shareholders.

BUILDERS merchants and DIY group Heiton yesterday reiterated to shareholders that the company had a bright future as an independent entity, a day after the stock exchange turned up the heat on rival Grafton’s takeover plans.

THE proposed takeover of builders’ merchant and DIY group Heiton by larger rival Grafton has taken a fresh twist with news that British builders’ products group Wolseley is set to beef up its presence in Ireland.

TAKEOVER target Heiton was bullish about its future as an independent entity yesterday as the builders’ providers and DIY group reported full-year profits of €28.8 million, an increase of 30%.

The ISEQ index of Irish shares began the week on a negative note, slipping 15.38 to 5,326.13 at close today.