Hot weather hits Carpetright - Telegraph Darren Shapland, Carpetright chief executive, said the company had still seen "solid growth" in May and June, and that it is gaining market share. He added: "Notwithstanding the tough trading conditions we believe we continue to grow market share in all of our markets and continue to see significant further potential in our planned self-help initiatives." The Carpetright boss said the company aimed to recover a "good chunk" of the sales lost in July later in the year. "Instead of shopping indoors, people are shopping outdoors or doing leisure pursuits," he explained. I think it just effects everyone who is inside. John Lewis, the department store chain, said its sales fell 8.7pc last week as Britain experienced a heatwave. However, supermarkets and DIY chains are likely to benefit from the weather. Kingfisher, the owner of B&Q, is scheduled to post a trading update on Wednesday morning. Despite the slowdown in July sales, Mr Shapland that sentiment in the UK economy "feels a little better." He added: "People are feeling less negative than they were." Carpetright's business in the Netherlands continues to shrink, however. Like-for-like sales across Europe, which also includes Belgium and Ireland, declined by 10.6pc, mainly due to the stress in the Dutch economy.