Diy Retailer
Free delivery over £50 refers to standard home delivery orders placed on diy.com only. Charges refer to the value of goods being delivered and excludes delivery from stores or services. Excludes bulk, large and Sunday delivery. These DIY retail display ideas can help you achieve a great aesthetic while still being affordable. Whether you’re just setting up shop, or changing things up to keep your store looking fresh, all of these ideas can be done on a budget and in a weekend. B&Q Limited is a British multinational DIY and home improvement retailing company, headquartered in Eastleigh, England, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc. Founded by Richard Blockand David Quayle in 1969 originally as Block & Quayle, the retail chain offers over 40,000 products across 300 physical stores and online shops.
2018 was a trying year for DIY retail in Europe. For example, total DIY sales across the UK fell 40% year-on-year, according to the CBI. The growth of online shopping poses a considerable challenge to DIY retailers across Europe, who have been slow to establish and optimise their online presence. Moreover, in countries where Amazon is present, consumers are veering towards that marketplace to make their DIY purchases, over the brand or retailer itself.
In the midst of this rising competition, high street DIY retailers must focus on using the online experience to their advantage and start kindling greater brand loyalty to keep customers coming back. To better understand what European shoppers are looking for from DIY retail, we surveyed 4,200 consumers from the UK, France, and Germany. More than 60% of UK consumers plan to undertake some form of home maintenance work over the next calendar year — these are the five things DIY retailers need to know to capture these shoppers.
1. A big brand name isn’t enough
Based on our research, just one third (34%) of UK consumers find brand reputation a factor in deciding between DIY merchants. Purchasing decisions are overwhelmingly influenced by price (60%) and proximity (45%) to physical stores.
The situation is even more extreme elsewhere. In France, 71% of consumers are price-driven. In Germany, brand reputation influences only 19% of consumers, and nearly two-thirds (61%) choose a retailer based on how close the store is to their home.
European consumers likely do not perceive there to be any major differentiating factors between DIY retailers, so they opt for the one that is closest and cheapest. The retailer who finds ways to stand out from the rest with a differentiated customer experience will win otherwise ambivalent DIY shoppers.
2. Brick-and-mortar advantage
In Europe, just 7% of DIY purchases are made online. UK and German consumers are the biggest online purchasers. Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have the lion’s share of the market. Amazon, for instance, can only serve online shoppers, whereas retailers like B&Q and Screwfix can connect with shoppers online or in-store. Today, European consumers are making most of their DIY purchases in-store. While this may change in the near future, DIY retailers should take advantage of their brick-and-mortar outposts while also building a strong e-commerce presence.
3. Content is king
That being said, online is becoming a major destination for those undertaking DIY projects. 37% of consumers are turning to the internet to shop for DIY products. They’re looking for information about products and inspiration for their projects using social media content (23%) and online product descriptions (29%). For inspiration, the social media platforms of choice are YouTube (70%), followed by Facebook (48%), and Pinterest (41%). After they have decided on a project, consumers want to be able to see products and visualise their use: 83% of European consumers said video and pictures were a crucial factor when making DIY purchases.
4. Facts matter
When it comes to researching and deciding between products, consumers are looking for details. Trust in products is primarily achieved through accuracy about features and functions, according to four in five consumers (79%) – exceeding even a product’s brand reputation (60%). This desire for accurate product details extends to the customer reviews. In fact, the detail of review content is almost twice as important as whether the person who left the review was a DIY expert or tradesman (36%). This confirms our previous data on the value of review content for DIY retail; in our Shopper Experience Index study, our best-in-class DIY clients reported a 128% conversion lift for shoppers who interacted with any type of customer content.
5. Engagement extends beyond purchase
DIY shoppers’ affinity with DIY-related content doesn’t end once the purchase has been made. 37% of UK consumers and 46% of German consumers look to YouTube for support when carrying out the project itself. Moreover, 44% of British consumers will call on peers for help and almost a third (31%) will head to the DIY retailer website to look for resources.
Online is increasingly becoming an important tool to help shape not only DIY purchasing decisions, but the lifetime value of consumers. Retailers should provide post-purchase resources to shoppers; in-store, this may look like workshops, and online, it could be a YouTube channel or other content library on a retailer website. Consumers are looking for expert help and best practices to help them tackle their own DIY projects. What’s more, they want to show off their completed projects on social media. Retailers that provide an avenue for consumers to share questions, reviews, advice, and results will have consumers coming to their platforms throughout every stage of the DIY project lifecycle.
Our research shows that DIY shoppers want to be engaged throughout the entire project lifecycle — from inspiration and research to purchase and completion. However, European retailers are falling short on delivering this experience and failing to capture and hold consumers’ attention and loyalty. When retailers evolve from selling products to becoming shoppers’ trusted resource for all stages of DIY projects, they will be closer to delivering the customer experiences their shoppers want.
For more data about DIY retail in Europe, view our infographic.
B&Q Limited is a British multinational DIY and home improvement retailing company, headquartered in Eastleigh, England, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc. Founded by Richard Blockand David Quayle in 1969 originally as Block & Quayle, the retail chain offers over 40,000 products across 300 physical stores and online shops.
Since 2015, B&Q has been closing a number of stores, in favour of converting some to outlets of Screwfix. The company also has some outlets in Ireland. Shops in China were unsuccessful, and closed down in 2015.
History[edit]
1969 to 1979: Early growth[edit]
B&Q was founded in March 1969 in Southampton, England, by Richard Block and David Quayle, following the purchase and fitting out of a former furniture warehouse in the Southampton suburb of Portswood.[3] Originally called Block & Quayle, the duo soon shortened the brand to B&Q as stock delivery notes and invoices were already unofficially abbreviating the name.
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By each working over sixty hour, six day weeks, they were able to repay their bank overdraft within six months of opening, with turnover reaching £1million within the first five years of operating.[4]Following the departure of co founder Block in 1976, the chain quickly expanded, and by 1979, there were twenty six shops across the United Kingdom.[5]
1980s: Buyout and further expansion[edit]
B&Q grew rapidly through a combination of mergers, acquisitions and expansions, such as the acquisition of Scottish based company Dodge City at the beginning of the 1980s. The chain was itself acquired by the F. W. Woolworth Company for £16.8m at the beginning of the 1980s, coinciding with David Quayle selling his share, who by that time had a personal wealth of £4 million.[4]
Two years later, F. W. Woolworth’s United Kingdom subsidiary (Woolworth’s Ltd.) and B&Q were purchased by Paternoster, now known as Kingfisher plc and still B&Q’s parent company.[6]
B&Q developed two new trading formats: HomeCentres, retailing furniture, bathrooms, soft furniture, flooring and lighting; and AutoCentres, being similar to a Halfords, the first launch taking place at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, at the end of the 1980s. The concept being to have a HomeCentre, AutoCentre and DIY Superstore with one communal car park.
The forays into these new markets were relatively short lived, and the various sites were sold on a couple of years later. The AutoCentres becoming in the main ‘Charlie Browns’, the HomeCentres being sold off individually.
1990s to present[edit]
In the mid 1990s, B&Q opened a new format of shop known as the Depot (later changed to B&Q Depot),[7] a forerunner of a new class of shop known as the B&Q Warehouse. The company also began to expand outside the United Kingdom. In 1995, the retailer opened their first overseas subsidiary in Taiwan, and in January 1996, the first overseas large home improvement centre in Taoyuan City, Taiwan.[8]
In September 1998, it acquired NOMI, Poland’s leading chain of DIY shops,[9] and later that year, merged with France’s Castorama.[10]
The following year, B&Q opened a shop in Shanghai.[11] In December 2000, Kingfisher plc acquired twenty eight development sites, intended to house future shops of rival chain Homebase from Sainsbury’s, who sold the chain.[12] The development sites instead housed shops of B&Q. In August 2001, B&Q opened its first shop in Shanghai, when it hoped to increase outlets from four to 58 by 2005.[13]
B&Q opened its first shop in Hong Kong on 1 June 2007,[14] but was scheduled to close it on 13 September 2009.[15] In December 2007, Kingfisher sold its 50 per cent stake in B&Q Taiwan to its joint venture partner. The $106.5 million (£51.6 million) sale, producing a profit of £25m was used to reduce debt.[8]
In March 2009, B&Q closed twenty two of its then sixty three shops in China, blaming the housing slump.[16] In May 2011, B&Q agreed to acquire thirty one shops in the United Kingdom, from the administrators of Focus DIY for £23 million.[17]During 2011, B&Q opened a new regional distribution centre, at G.Park in Swindon.[18]
Customers[edit]
B&Q were reported to have a customer base of seven million in July 2016, of which it was estimated 75% use the retailer’s website to research their desired products, prior to purchasing in shop.[19] B&Q have customer loyalty schemes, such as the Diamond Club scheme which entitles members over the age of 60 to a 10% discount on Wednesdays on many garden products. However, no new customers are able to join the scheme, after changes were announced on 2 August 2018.[20]
Corporate affairs[edit]
The retail chain offers over 40,000 products across their three hundred shops and through their online presence.[2] Reports in May 2007 suggested it was the second largest in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world (behind the Home Depot, Lowe’s and OBI).[21]
Shops[edit]
By 2000, B&Q had fifty one large warehouse shops; this had doubled by 2003. By May 2014, B&Q in the United Kingdom had 359 shops, and 20,887 employees;[22] and eight shops in Ireland.[23]
In March 2015, Kingfisher said it would close sixty shops of B&Q in the United Kingdom and Ireland over the next two years. It would also close a few loss making shops in Europe. It also said that B&Q UK and Ireland could adequately meet local customer needs, from fewer shops, and some shops should be smaller.[24]
Financial performance[edit]
B&Q account for around a third of their parent company’s revenues, seeing like for like sales increase by 5.6% in August 2016.[25] In the year ending 31 January 2007, sales were £3.9 billion despite overall sales falling by 1.7% compared to the previous year, whilst profit was £162.9 million, a fall from £208.5m during the previous year.[26] Profit fell further in the year ending 31 January 2008, to £131million.[27]
In March 2013, it was reported that the retail chain’s Ireland operation was making losses, with their then nine shops making a combined loss of £7m throughout 2012, yet its operations within the United Kingdom turned a profit despite an overall decrease in sales by 5.6%.[28]
International operations[edit]
Outside of the United Kingdom, B&Q’s only other international operations are in Ireland. On 31 January 2013, B&Q Ireland Ltd filed for examinership in the Irish courts and PWC Ireland was appointed examiner,[29] though shops continued to trade as normal whilst alternative financing arrangements were made.[30]
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B&Q Ireland turned to making a loss two years prior, despite the shops in the United Kingdom continuing to stay in profit.[31] The chain exited examinership a few months later in May 2013, following High Court approval for investment totalling €2.4 million to allow eight of their nine shops to continue operating.[23]
B&Q expanded into China during 1999, building up a chain of nearly forty shops, however, opted to sell a 70% controlling stake of operations in China in 2015, due to poor sales and low embracement from the Chinese public.[32] B&Q’s parent company had previously sold its 50% stake in B&Q Taiwan in 2007 in order that is could focus on what was then a rapidly growing business in China.[8]
Incidents[edit]
In June 2001, in Poole, Dorset, 69 year old customer Pamela Jean Hinchliffe was fatally crushed by a forklift at the firm’s Fleetsbridge shop. In June 2004, B&Q were found guilty of causing death, and the following month, they received a fine of £550,000.[33]
In November 2002, Damian Nicholls, the forklift driver, was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service, at Winchester Crown Court. The court was told that on 16 June 2001, Nicholls had hit some pallets, and a colleague commented that he would “end up killing someone”. He was acquitted of manslaughter, and of causing death by dangerous driving. However, in October 2005, Nicholls’ fine was reduced, again on appeal.[citation needed]
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In July 2017, B&Q faced widespread controversy from customers complaining of bad smells and headaches after painting their homes with Valspar paint sold to them. This led to B&Q compensating hundreds of customers, with the problem said to be caused by bacterial contamination in the can.[34][35]