DIY chain, Wickes, has parted company with Travis Perkins after 15 years and is becoming an independent business again.

The retailer, which has stores in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Cirencester, is part of an exodus from Travis Perkins, which also includes its £1.5 billion plumbing and heating division, as reported by The Times.

Travis Perkins reported a 4.5 per cent growth in like-for-like sales for the last quarter of the year, including Christmas, but its DIY sales have been in decline. It is thought DIY sales may have been replaced at least in part by an increase in people employing a handyperson, rather than doing work themselves, who sources supplies on their behalf from Wickes.

Travis Perkins bought Wickes in 2004 for £950 million, when it had operating profits of £76 million. The most recent figures for Wickes, for 2018, show operating profit down at £26 million, with annual sales of £1.2 billion.