B&Q
Encyclopedia
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
).
B&Q was founded in March 1969 in Southampton
, England
by Richard Block
and David Quayle
.
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.
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 'Lets 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
.
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.
In 2009 Michael O’Rourke became the tenth person to be killed or injured in a British or Irish B&Q store since 1997.
In February 2011, B&Q was successfully prosecuted and found guilty of racial discrimination.
In July 2011, B&Q Ireland Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a safe workplace and were fined €250,000 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after fencing weighing half a tonne fell and killed a customer.
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
DIY and home improvement
Home improvement
Home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home.-Types of home improvement:...
retailer headquartered in Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc
Kingfisher plc
Kingfisher plc is a multinational retailing company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest home improvement retailer in Europe and the third-largest in the world...
, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
.
B&Q currently has stores in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is the largest DIY retail chain in China, the second-largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the fourth-largest in the world (behind The Home Depot
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...
, Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
and OBI
OBI (store)
Founded in 1970, OBI GmbH & Co. Deutschland KG is the second largest DIY retailer in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world, behind The Home Depot, Lowe's and Kingfisher plc. It is headquartered in Wermelskirchen, Germany, and belongs to the Tengelmann Group.-OBI in Europe:It formerly had...
).
History
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by Richard Block
Richard Block
Richard Block may refer to:*Richard Earl Block, mathematician*Richard Block, founder of B&Q...
and David Quayle
David Quayle
David Andrew Quayle was probably best known for his part in starting the UK chain B&Q. He worked in the Marley Tile company in the 1960s and together with his brother-in-law Richard Block started the B&Q chain in 1969...
.
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
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
company Dodge City, and was itself acquired by F. W. Woolworth Company
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
.
F. W. Woolworth's UK subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
(Woolworths Ltd.) and B&Q were bought, two years later, by Paternoster, who are now known as Kingfisher plc
Kingfisher plc
Kingfisher plc is a multinational retailing company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest home improvement retailer in Europe and the third-largest in the world...
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
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
,
and in 1996 the first overseas large home improvement center in Taoyuan City
Taoyuan City
Taoyuan City is the county seat of Taoyuan County in Taiwan, located in the northwestern part of the island. Taoyuan city is the gateway of Taiwan: with the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in vicinity, and is a 30-minute ride to the capital, Taipei....
, Taiwan. In 1998, it acquired NOMI, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
's leading chain of DIY stores;
later that year B&Q merged with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's Castorama
Castorama
Castorama is a French retailer of DIY and home improvement tools and supplies. It has its head office in Templemars.The company became a subsidiary of Kingfisher plc in 1998, along with Castorama's own subsidiary Brico Dépôt. Some outlets have been converted or relocated under the Brico Dépôt DIY...
.
In 1999 B&Q opened a store in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
,
and acquired the British hardware mailorder company, Screwfix
Screwfix
Screwfix Direct Limited is a UK direct and online supplier of trade tools, accessories and hardware products. Founded in 1979 the company was acquired in 1999 by the Kingfisher plc group, which also owns B&Q and is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
. 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
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
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
was £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
4.1 billion and profit
Profit (accounting)
In accounting, profit can be considered to be the difference between the purchase price and the costs of bringing to market whatever it is that is accounted as an enterprise in terms of the component costs of delivered goods and/or services and any operating or other expenses.-Definition:There are...
£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 'Lets 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
Ellen MacArthur
Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE is an English sailor, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in West Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo...
's round the world sailing success in trimaran
Trimaran
A trimaran is a multihulled boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls , attached to the main hull with lateral struts...
B&Q.
In the 2008 Superbrands
Superbrands
The Superbrands organization is an independent arbiter on branding. Its membership programmes pay tribute to the world's leading brands, as selected by experts and consumers. The organization also publishes a series of brand-focused books and publications...
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
Jewson
Jewson is one of the largest chain of British general builders' merchants, selling to small building contractors and the general public with over 500 branches across the country....
, Wickes
Wickes
Wickes is a do-it-yourself retailer based in the United Kingdom and owned by Travis Perkins, with more than 190 stores throughout the country. It focuses on supplies and materials for homeowners and the building trade...
and Travis Perkins
Travis Perkins
Travis Perkins plc is a British builders merchant based in Northampton. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
.
Stores
| Country | Number of Stores |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
358 (29 Focus DIY Stores) |
 People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... |
57 |
 Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... |
9 |
Awards
In 2007, B&Q won two high profile awards from The Gallup OrganizationThe Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization, is primarily a research-based performance-management consulting company. Some of Gallup's key practice areas are - Employee Engagement, Customer Engagement and Well-Being. Gallup has over 40 offices in 27 countries. World headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Operational...
for its HR policies and employee engagement
Employee engagement
Employee engagement, also called worker engagement, is a business management concept. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization's interests...
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
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
following their participation in Disability Standard
Disability Standard
The Disability Standard is a benchmarking assessment run by Employers' Forum on Disability.Best described as a management tool for employers, the Disability Standard acts as a statistical study providing us with a snapshot of UK businesses performance on disability in line with the disability...
2007.
Criticism
In 2004, a workforce survey found that racism was rife at B&Q.In 2009 Michael O’Rourke became the tenth person to be killed or injured in a British or Irish B&Q store since 1997.
In February 2011, B&Q was successfully prosecuted and found guilty of racial discrimination.
In July 2011, B&Q Ireland Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a safe workplace and were fined €250,000 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after fencing weighing half a tonne fell and killed a customer.