History

The original B&Q – Richard Block and David Quayle - opened the first B&Q store in Southampton in 1969.

At 2,900 square feet, it seems tiny by the standards of today’s Warehouses (some of which are more than 50 times larger). But this pioneering DIY superstore had an enormous impact.

Although it’s hard to imagine now, with so many magazines and TV programmes dedicated to home improvement, DIY was very much a specialist hobby at the time - and it wasn't well catered for. The traditional builders’ merchants could be very intimidating for amateur DIY enthusiasts, while the local hardware store stocked little apart from the basics.

What the first B&Q store did was to make DIY more accessible for everyone. It provided a broad range of products, longer opening hours, a convenient, welcoming environment and value for money. The formula was an immediate success - within 10 years, another 25 stores had been opened and we haven’t looked back since.

While B&Q is now the biggest home improvement chain in Europe – moving from DIY basics to total home solutions – our success is still based on the same fundamental principles: more choice, better value, and great service.