Builders' merchant Travis Perkins has announced that it is pausing the sale of its plumbing and heating division.

In December of last year, the company said it planned to sell its plumbing and heating arm (which includes merchants City Plumbing Supplies, PTS, DHS, the Underfloor Heating Store, National Shower Spares, and Primaflow F&P) in order to help "simplify the business".

However, in its Q3 trading update published today, it stated that it was pausing the sale because of the "current unprecedented level of uncertainty".

In other news, the Travis Perkins Group reported that the process to demerge Wickes is on track, both in terms of the separation of the business from the group to increase its autonomy and the regulatory process required. The group aims for the demerger to be completed in Q2 2020.

The strong performance of Wickes continued in Q3, with further market share gains in the home improvement market through core DIY categories and in the kitchen and bathroom showroom market. It reports that sales in the kitchen and bathroom market remain robust, with increasing lead generation through digital channels, good sales conversion and increasing proportion of installation services.