Accessory and gift store The Finishing Touch, which has been a fixture in Abingdon’s Stert Street for more than two decades, has announced it will close at the end of July.

Owner Esther Hall, who ran the shop with her daughter Georgia, said the years they spent trading in Abingdon were ‘fabulous’ and thanked customers who made their ‘little dream a roaring success’.

Mum and daughter duo Esther Hall (right) and Georgia, who ran the store together (Image: Contributed)

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Mrs Hall said: “Over the 23 years of having our business in Abingdon we have very much enjoyed every minute of it.

“It has been a pleasure to have our store in a lovely town such as Abingdon, and most importantly our amazing customers and business neighbours.

“We are extremely grateful to all our lovely customers and colleagues, past and present, who have made our family business so successful over our years of trading.

“Christmas has been our most favourite time of the year and we loved creating magical displays for all to enjoy. 

A Christmas display at the store, owner Esther Hall’s ‘favourite time of year’ (Image: Contributed)

“We are sad to be leaving but know it is the right time for myself and my daughter.

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“I will be getting ready to retire so I can spend much needed time with family and friends and to take a well earned rest.

“My daughter Georgia is continuing her career in retail and is very much excited to take on her next challenge.”

The duo announced a closing down sale would start on Tuesday, May 26, with 25 per cent off all full price items, and gift vouchers and credit notes can be redeemed up until the closure.

The University of Lincoln has won a Silver Gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for its RoboCrops exhibit, centred on an AI-based plant analysis system called PhenAIx.

Created by the university and its Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology, the exhibit features PhenAIx, which examines plants for signs of disease risk, environmental stress and growth performance before visible symptoms appear. Researchers presented it as a robotic phenotyping platform combining artificial intelligence, imaging tools and robotics.

The award places an agricultural robotics project among the notable displays in Chelsea’s GreenSTEM zone, where science and technology sit alongside horticulture. The attraction drew interest from visitors and policymakers during the show.

Plant analysis

Developers describe PhenAIx as a diagnostic scanner for plants, designed to detect hidden indicators in crops earlier than growers could through visual inspection alone.

The approach reflects a broader push in agriculture to use machine vision and automation to improve crop monitoring. Earlier identification of disease or stress can help growers isolate plants, adjust growing conditions or change treatment plans before losses spread.

The system could also contribute to developing stronger, more climate-resilient crops. The university linked the technology to efforts to improve food production and support more sustainable agricultural systems.

Beyond factories

The exhibit also highlights a shift in how robotics is presented to the public. Rather than focusing on industrial or warehouse settings, it places autonomous systems in a biological environment where variables are harder to control and outcomes less predictable.

That matters because farming has become an important test case for robotics and AI. Weather, soil, disease pressure and other changing conditions make agriculture a more complex setting than many conventional automation tasks.

Visitors included London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who discussed how systems such as PhenAIx could be applied to food production and climate-related pressures. No further details were given on any deployment timetable or commercial rollout.

Education focus

Organisers also pointed to strong interest from school groups visiting the show. The mix of robotics, AI, biology and environmental science appeared to make the exhibit an effective demonstration of how digital tools are being applied in food and farming research.

That educational role is becoming increasingly significant for universities and research institutes. Agricultural technology has often struggled to attract broad public attention compared with consumer-facing AI products, even as the sector faces pressure to raise productivity, reduce environmental impact and respond to climate volatility.

The university said it hoped the exhibit would encourage more young people, especially those from rural and agricultural backgrounds, to consider careers in robotics, data science and agri-tech. The ambition reflects a wider effort across the sector to build a workforce that combines software, engineering and plant science.

The medal is likely to give the project greater visibility beyond academic and specialist farming circles. Chelsea remains one of the UK’s best-known horticultural events, and recognition there offers research-led projects a way to reach audiences that might not usually engage with agricultural automation.

Researchers behind the exhibit said systems such as PhenAIx could support earlier crop disease detection, environmental monitoring, climate adaptation and more sustainable farming methods. At the heart of the display is a machine intended to show that plant health can be assessed before damage is visible to the human eye.

B&Q owner Kingfisher has reported a dip in sales over recent months as the delayed onset of spring weather held back spending and bigger purchases remained subdued.

The DIY giant, which also owns Screwfix, said total sales declined by 0.9 per cent to £3.3 billion between February and April, compared like-for-like with the same period last year.

The business said it was “mindful of the consumer environment” but hailed a “resilient” start to the year.

The homeware giant revealed plans to cut more than 650 jobs across the UK last year, a move the company insists the move is about “simplifying” how its shops are run.

The company has stores in Oxford, Abingdon, Witney and Banbury.

In the UK and Ireland, sales at B&Q fell by 4.1 per cent, which the company said reflected a late start to spring resulting in fewer visitors to stores and affecting spending on some of its core items.

“Big-ticket” spending, meaning more costly home purchases, was dragged down by fewer bathroom sales, but the firm said this was partly offset by strengthening new kitchen ranges.

Nevertheless, the Screwfix brand continued to strengthen with sales jumping by 4.1 per cent year on year.

Kingfisher chief executive Thierry Garnier said it was a “resilient start to the year” for the retailer while remaining “mindful of the consumer environment”.

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The brand has been taking a bigger share of the market and has been impacted by online and trade initiatives.

The retail group is expecting earnings to grow this year, saying it is on track to make adjusted profits of between £565 million and £625 million for the current financial year.

“E-commerce and trade sales both delivered double-digit growth, underlining the momentum in our key growth drivers,” Mr Garnier said.

“While mindful of the consumer environment, we remain absolutely focused on delivering our strategy, disciplined gross margin and cost management, and consistent shareholder returns.”

However, Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: “Blaming the weather for weak trading is often seen in the ‘dog ate my homework’ category of excuses by the market, but the fact it has not forced any downgrades means Kingfisher has kept investors on side.

“Among the areas of positivity is the continued strong growth in the Screwfix business. Kingfisher, like several of its peers, is pursuing trade customers who are often more reliable and consistent sources of revenue than ordinary consumers.

“That’s because materials and tools are not a nice-to-have for them but essential to their day job.”