B&Q facts for kids

B&Q Limited is a big British company that sells things for DIY projects, home improvement, and gardening. Its main office is in Eastleigh, England. The name B&Q comes from its two founders, Richard Block and David Quayle. They started the company in March 1969.

B&Q is the largest home improvement store in the UK. It helps both everyday people and professional builders. Over the years, B&Q has become the main store in its field. This happened after other companies like Focus and Homebase closed down.

History of B&Q

How B&Q Started: 1969 to 1979

B&Q began in March 1969 in Southampton, England. Richard Block and David Quayle bought an old furniture warehouse and turned it into their first store. They first called it Block & Quayle. But soon, people started calling it B&Q for short, and the name stuck!

The founders worked very hard, often more than sixty hours a week. This helped them pay off their starting loan quickly. In just five years, their sales reached £1 million. The company grew fast, and by 1979, there were 26 B&Q stores across the United Kingdom.

Richard Block, one of the founders, left the company in 1976.

Growing Bigger: The 1980s

B&Q kept growing quickly by buying other companies and opening new stores. For example, they bought a company called Dodge City in the early 1980s.

Later, B&Q itself was bought by the F. W. Woolworth Company for £16.8 million. At this time, David Quayle, the other founder, sold his share. A couple of years later, B&Q and Woolworths UK were bought by a company called Paternoster Stores. This company then became Kingfisher plc, which is still B&Q's parent company today.

B&Q also tried out new types of stores in the 1980s. They opened "HomeCentres" for furniture and home items, and "AutoCentres" for car parts. The idea was to have all three types of stores (DIY, Home, Auto) next to each other with one big car park. However, these new ideas didn't last long, and the stores were sold a few years later.

Changes in the 1990s

Interior of B&Q, Castleford

In the mid-1990s, B&Q opened a new type of store called "The Depot." These stores were much bigger, like huge warehouses. They had two floors of shelves and sold many more products, including large building materials. B&Q also changed its company color to orange, which was similar to a US store called Home Depot. Because of this, some people mistakenly thought the two companies were connected, but they are not.

B&Q also started to open stores outside the UK. In 1995, they opened their first store in Taiwan. In 1998, they bought NOMI, a big DIY chain in Poland. Later that year, they joined with Castorama from France.

The 2000s: Global Expansion and Challenges

In 2000, Kingfisher plc, B&Q's parent company, bought 28 sites that were meant for another store, Homebase. Instead, B&Q built its own stores on these sites. In 2001, B&Q opened its first store in Shanghai, China. They hoped to open many more stores there.

B&Q opened a store in Hong Kong in 2007, but it closed in 2009. In 2007, Kingfisher sold its share in B&Q Taiwan. In 2009, B&Q closed 22 of its 63 stores in China because fewer people were buying homes.

The 2010s: Growth and Closures

In 2011, B&Q bought 31 stores from a company called Focus DIY. Also in 2011, B&Q opened a new large warehouse in Swindon to help distribute products.

In March 2015, Kingfisher announced that B&Q would close 60 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland over the next two years. They said B&Q could serve customers well with fewer, and sometimes smaller, stores.

The 2020s: Adapting to New Times

In 2020, B&Q saw a big increase in sales. This was partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people spent more time at home and decided to do home improvement projects.

In 2021, B&Q launched a new website for customers in the Republic of Ireland. In 2022, B&Q opened its first two stores in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

In 2023, B&Q opened a new distribution center in Bassetlaw and a new store in Sutton, UK. In January 2024, B&Q shared plans to open its tenth local store on Staines high street. In February 2024, B&Q increased the hourly pay for its UK employees. Also in 2024, B&Q opened its new store in Staines.

In January 2025, B&Q announced it would take over five Homebase store locations. They had also previously announced they would take over three Homebase stores in the Republic of Ireland.

B&Q Brands

B&Q has its own brands for products.

• Diall is a B&Q brand. Its name stands for 'Do It All'.
• GoodHome is the main own-brand at B&Q stores. It includes many products, from kitchen items to paint.

B&Q Customers

In 2016, B&Q had about seven million customers. It was thought that 75% of these customers looked up products on the B&Q website before buying them in a store.

B&Q used to have a "Diamond Club" for special benefits, but it stopped accepting new members in 2018. Old members can still use it for some outdoor and seasonal products.

How B&Q Works

B&Q sells over 40,000 different products in its 300 stores and online. In 2007, B&Q was said to be the second largest home improvement company in Europe and the fourth largest in the world.

B&Q Stores

A B&Q store in Grimsby, England

By 2000, B&Q had 51 large warehouse stores. This number doubled by 2003. In May 2014, B&Q had 359 stores in the United Kingdom and eight stores in Ireland. They also had about 20,887 employees.

Money Matters

B&Q makes about one-third of the money for its parent company, Kingfisher plc. In August 2016, sales in existing stores went up by 5.6%. In the year ending January 31, 2007, B&Q's sales were £3.9 billion.

B&Q Around the World

B&Q Beijing Sijiqing outlet opened in 2003, rebranded as "B&T Home" in March 2018 (taken in July 2024)

A former B&Q MegaBox outlet in Hong Kong (2007)

Outside the UK, B&Q also has stores in Ireland and, since 2022, in Saudi Arabia. In January 2013, B&Q Ireland had some financial difficulties, but its stores kept trading. They received an investment of €2.4 million, which allowed eight of their nine stores to keep operating.

B&Q expanded into China in 1999 and opened nearly 40 stores there. However, due to low sales, they sold a large part of their business in China in 2015.

Past Issues

In July 2017, B&Q received many complaints from customers. People said they had bad smells and headaches after painting their homes with Valspar paint bought from B&Q. B&Q helped hundreds of customers because the problem was caused by bacteria in the paint cans.