The consumer's resilience has been pretty remarkable and I think it's been particularly robust in home improvement Gerry Murphy, Kingfisher chief executive

Profits before one-off items rose 17% to �655m ($1.05bn) with same-store sales at its DIY chains up by 4.3%.

As well as B&Q in the UK, Kingfisher also owns the French chain Castorama and Hornbach in Germany.

Kingfisher said the planned demerger of its electricals business - which includes the UK chain Comet - would be completed before the end of July.

The electricals side will be listed on the London Stock Exchange, but will also have a secondary listing in Paris.

"I'm certain that the clarity and focus that will follow demerger will benefit shareholders, staff and customers alike," said chief executive Gerry Murphy, who joined Kingfisher in February from the media firm Carlton.

Consumer resilience

Profits at Kingfisher's DIY stores rose by 24% to �534m, but the electricals business, which includes the French chain Darty, saw profits drop 12.8% to �160m.

Mr Murphy said the current environment was "uncertain" but he remained "cautiously optimistic for the year ahead".

"The consumer's resilience generally has been pretty remarkable and I think it's been particularly robust in home improvement.

"When things do get difficult and people feel more insecure they are inclined to spend more time at home.

"They are more focused on value, more frugal, and our basic proposition is about the home and improving the home at affordable prices."

Mr Murphy added that Kingfisher would be looking to sell some of its assets in Canada, Poland, Brazil and Belgium.

"We have decided we are going to concentrate all of our firepower on two macro regions, Europe and the Far East," he said.