Property
B&Q has one of the UK’s largest property portfolios. Planning and managing it effectively is an essential factor in the success of our business.
Property Acquisition and Management
The Acquisition team is responsible for identifying and acquiring new sites (and extension space) throughout the UK and Ireland – based on a detailed analysis of customer buying patterns and likely demand.
Once the sites are acquired, the Programme Management team takes on responsibility for co-ordinating the work of external suppliers (such as shop fitters and architects) and the needs of internal customers (such as Operations and Merchandise), to ensure that the store opening goes smoothly.
The Property Management team looks after the relationship with Landlords and Local Authorities, negotiating issues like rent reviews, rating appeals and service charges.
Property Services
The Property Services team looks after four main areas:
- Store revamps – providing the practical resources and know-how to bring our format plans to life for B&Q customers all around the country.
- Maintenance – keeping our whole store estate in a good and safe working condition.
- Equipment – buying and managing all the equipment you find in store, from racking and shelving to kitchen and bathroom displays.
- Energy – sourcing and managing the £34 million worth of gas, electricity and water that B&Q uses every year.
Asset Management
The Asset Management team makes sure that our property portfolio is operating as effectively as possible: disposing of surplus stores; sub-dividing stores with excess capacity and managing non-operational properties.
B&Q Properties
B&Q Properties is a separate company, responsible for developing and managing the whole of Kingfisher’s substantial UK property portfolio – with an annual rent roll of around £40 million. It looks after a range of issues, includingcompleting on new stores and distribution centres, proposals for the new B&Q headquarters in Chandler’s Ford and developing surplus or under-utilised land (for third party occupiers) adjoining existing B&Q operational sites.
International Property
The International Property team is another Kingfisher Group function, co-ordinating the activities of the Property teams in each of the Group's operating countries (currently 11 in total). This involves revaluing the Group's international freehold portfolio, planning investments, and monitoring how that money is being spent - as well as the return it's generating.
