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|revenue = £4,444 million (2009/10)<ref name="KAR2010FRUKIRE">, Kingfisher Annual Report 2010 Financial Review UK & Ireland.</ref><ref name="KAR2010FROI">, Kingfisher Annual Report 2010 Financial Review Other International</ref> |revenue = £4.4 Billion (2009/10)<ref name="KAR2010FRUKIRE">, Kingfisher Annual Report 2010 Financial Review UK & Ireland.</ref><ref name="KAR2010FROI">, Kingfisher Annual Report 2010 Financial Review Other International</ref>
|net_income = £161 million (2009/10)<ref name="KAR2010FRUKIRE" /><ref name="KAR2010FROI" /> |net_income = £161 million (2009/10)<ref name="KAR2010FRUKIRE" /><ref name="KAR2010FROI" />
|locations = 358 stores (2011)<ref name="KAR2010UKIRE" /><ref name="KAR2010OI" /> |locations = 358 stores (2011)<ref name="KAR2010UKIRE" /><ref name="KAR2010OI" />

Revision as of 20:00, 6 February 2012

B&Q plc
B&Q logo
Company typePublic limited company
IndustryRetail
Founded1969 (Southampton)
FounderRichard Block and David Quayle
HeadquartersEastleigh, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Number of locations358 stores (2011)
Key peopleMartyn Phillips (CEO)
ProductsDIYHome improvement toolsGardening Supplies and Plants
Revenue£4.4 Billion (2009/10)
Net income£161 million (2009/10)
Number of employees29,962 (2010)
ParentKingfisher plc
WebsiteB&Q UK website
B&Q China website
B&Q Ireland website

B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

B&Q currently has stores in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and China. It is the largest DIY retail chain in China, the second-largest in Europe and the fourth-largest in the world (behind The Home Depot, Lowe's and OBI).

History

A map showing the distribution of B&Q Stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland as at February 2008

B&Q was founded in March 1969 in Southampton, England by Richard Block and David Quayle, with the first store opening in the Southampton suburb of Portswood.

The store was originally called Block & Quayle, but this was soon shortened to B&Q. The chain quickly expanded and by 1979 there were 26 stores across the UK. By this time, the first of the co-founders had left the business: Block left in 1976 and Quayle in 1982.

B&Q grew rapidly during this time through a combination of mergers, acquisitions and expansions. In 1980, B&Q bought the Scottish company Dodge City, and was itself acquired by F. W. Woolworth Company. F. W. Woolworth's UK subsidiary (Woolworths Ltd.) and B&Q were bought, two years later, by Paternoster, who are now known as Kingfisher plc and are still B&Q's parent company.

The mid 1990s saw B&Q open a new format of store known as The Depot (later adjusted to B&Q Depot). This was a forerunner of a new class of store known as the B&Q Warehouse.

In the late 1990s, B&Q became active in the rest of Europe and the rest of the world. First, in 1995 it co-operated with parent company Kingfisher plc to open its first overseas subsidiary in Taiwan, and in 1996 the first overseas large home improvement center in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. In 1998, it acquired NOMI, Poland's leading chain of DIY stores; later that year B&Q merged with France's Castorama. In 1999 B&Q opened a store in Shanghai, and acquired the British hardware mailorder company, Screwfix. B&Q opened the first store in Hong Kong on 1 June 2007, but was scheduled to close it on 13 September 2009. In December 2007, Kingfisher sold its 50pc stake in B&Q Taiwan to its joint venture partner. The $106.5m (£52m) proceeds were used to reduce debt.

In May 2011 it was announced that B&Q had acquired 31 stores from the administrators of the Focus DIY chain.

Operations

B&Q, Grimsby, England
B&Q, Bridge of Dee, Aberdeen, Scotland
B&Q MegaBox, Hong Kong

By 2000 B&Q had 50 of its larger Warehouse stores; this had doubled by 2003. As of May 2007, B&Q in the UK had 331 stores and 39,000 employees. In the Republic of Ireland B&Q operate 9 individual stores. Its 2004/2005 turnover was £4.1 billion and profit £400.5 million, compared to published figures putting turnover at £3.9bn and profit at £162.9m for year ending February 2007. B&Q formerly advertised under the slogan "You can do it when you B&Q it", but this has been adjusted to 'The Real Deal' and 'Let's do it'. In 2011, they launched two new slogans, "What could you do this weekend?" and "Let's Do It Together", and these are designed to promote the teamwork side of B&Q. B&Q sponsored Ellen MacArthur's round the world sailing success in trimaran B&Q.

In the 2008 Superbrands survey, B&Q was voted the 88th out of 500 in a list which aims to establish which brands have the best reputation in the UK. This was the best score in its sector, higher than Jewson, Wickes and Travis Perkins.

Stores

Country Number of Stores
United Kingdom United Kingdom 358 (29 Focus DIY Stores)
China People's Republic of China 57
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 9

Awards

In 2007, B&Q won two high profile awards from The Gallup Organization for its HR policies and employee engagement programmes. B&Q was presented with the 2007 Gallup Great Workplace Award which recognises twelve companies for having the world's most engaged and productive workforces. The company also won a further HR Excellence Award for its learning and development strategy and a Diamond Award for vision and commitment on disability following their participation in Disability Standard 2007.

Criticism

In 2009 Michael O’Rourke became the tenth person to be killed or injured in a British or Irish B&Q store since 1997. He was killed after fencing weighing half a tonne fell from a shelf. Subsequently B&Q Ireland Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a safe workplace and were fined €250,000 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in July 2011.

In February 2011, B&Q was successfully prosecuted and found guilty of racial discrimination.

References

  1. ^ , Kingfisher Annual Report 2010 UK & Ireland.
  2. ^ , Kingfisher Annual Report 2010 Other International.
  3. ^ , Kingfisher Annual Report 2010 Financial Review UK & Ireland.
  4. ^ , Kingfisher Annual Report 2010 Financial Review Other International
  5. "Company Information." B&Q. Retrieved on 23 August 2011. "B&Q Plc B&Q House Chestnut Avenue Chandler's Ford Eastleigh SO53 3LE"
  6. "Interest rate worries cloud Kingfisher". Reuters. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  7. "History of B&Q". About B&Q. B&Q. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  8. Sawyer, Miranda (2004-07-17). "Fear of diy-ing". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  9. B&Q Online: From Kitchens & Bathrooms to Sheds & Paving; plus planning tools
  10. The Woolworths Virtual Museum - the acquisition of B & Q Retail Ltd
  11. Kingfisher plc : Home - Investors - Press releases
  12. History of B&Q : Windsave Wind Turbine System WS1000PS T2 now at B and Q DIY Stores
  13. http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=17710&CtNode=118
  14. Western influx underscores potential | Home Channel News | Find Articles at BNET.com
  15. Top 10 dealers on Earth grow 21.7% | Home Channel News | Find Articles at BNET.com
  16. B&Q sets its sights on ambitious store rollout - Shanghai B and Q Building Material Supermarket Co - International Pages - Brief Article | Home Channel News | Find Articles at BNET.com
  17. Kingfisher plc : Home - Media - Press releases
  18. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=15345&icid=1&d_str=
  19. http://www.bnq.com.hk/chi/index.php
  20. Fletcher, Richard (2007-12-18). "Kingfisher sells B&Q Taiwan stake". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  21. B&Q Online: From Kitchens & Bathrooms to Sheds & Paving; plus planning tools
  22. http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/templates/content_lookup.jsp?content=/bq/stores/ireland_and_channel_islands.jsp#ireland
  23. UK-Wire
  24. "B&Q firm upbeat but profit falls". BBC News. 2007-03-29. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  25. http://www.teamellen.com/en/article.asp?artid=3110
  26. "Official Top 500, 2008" (PDF). Superbrands. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  27. Killgren, Lucy (2009-03-26). "B&Q closes a third of stores in China". Financial Times. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  28. | Company Information: China Store List
  29. B&Q won a Diamond Award for Vision & Commitment on Disability after entering Disability Standard run by the Forum on Disability. Results found can be found at disabilitystandard.com
  30. http://www.cieh.org/ehn/bnq_death_probe.html
  31. "B&Q fined €250,000 after falling fencing kills customer". Irish Independent. 2011-07-28.
  32. http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2086805_guard_wins_race_claim_over_bq

External links

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Kingfisher plc
Divisions and
subsidiaries
Current
Former
Joint ventures and
shareholdings
Other
  • Demerged in 2003
  • Sold in 2001
  • Demerged in 2001
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