In September 1998, it acquired NOMI, Poland's leading chain of DIY shops, and later that year, merged with France's Castorama. 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. The company also began to expand outside the United Kingdom. In the mid 1990s, B&Q opened a new format of shop known as the Depot (later changed to B&Q Depot), a forerunner of a new class of shop known as the B&Q Warehouse. The AutoCentres becoming in the main 'Charlie Browns', the HomeCentres being sold off individually. The forays into these new markets were relatively short lived, and the various sites were sold on a couple of years later. The concept being to have a HomeCentre, AutoCentre and DIY Superstore with one communal car park. ī&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. 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. 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. 1980s: Buyout and further expansion ī&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. 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. 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.īy 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. History 1969 to 1979: Early growth ī&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.
1.2 1980s: Buyout and further expansion.
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