Focus Wickes, the DIY giant, has put itself up for sale, with a price tag of £1.5bn. The private equity groups Duke Street, which backed Mr Archer some 13 years ago, and Apax Partners, which bought in more recently, own about 70 per cent of Focus Wickes. Goldman Sachs, which is now advising the company on divestment options, tried and failed to float the business for £1.1bn in the summer of 2002 but was defeated by volatile market conditions. With annual turnover last year of £1.3bn, Focus Wickes has a 420-strong chain but that still puts it behind B&Q, owned by Kingfisher.