Bedford finally gets a B&Q store

A new B&Q store opened its doors in Bedford today (Monday 4th November) - with a lucky competition winner joining the official opening ceremony.

The new store is next to the Interchange Retail Park and was opened by store manager Lee Carter, competition winner Colin Redpath, MP Richard Fuller and Mayor Dave Hodgson.

Shoppers queued in anticipation of the store opening, with a golden ticket competition rewarding the first 500 customers through the door with the chance of winning one of five vouchers worth £100 to spend in store.

A magician was also present, entertaining shoppers with his balloon modelling, while firefighters were on hand to give tips on how to keep your home safe this winter.

Mr Redpath, 48, also collected his £500 B&Q gift card after answering a question on DIY. Having lived in Bedford all his life, he was delighted at B&Q’s decision to open a local store.

Mr Redpath said: “I’m delighted to be crowned the winner of the competition. As a self employed builder, the gift card is going to come in very handy for me as it is going to save me a lot of money in building supplies.”

He added: “My partner Karen has been keen for me to renovate our front room for a while now, so the £500 will also go towards supplies to enable me to create the perfect living room for us.”

The store has created 90 new jobs and is to stock more than 18,000 products as part of an extensive range of home and garden improvement products. The store also has a TradePoint counter.

Mr Carter said: “The team has been working hard behind the scenes to create a fantastic new store so we’re all delighted that opening day is finally here.

“We can’t wait to meet all our new customers from the surrounding community.”

He added: “Our staff span a variety of different age generations, with the youngest employee at 16 and the oldest employee at 60 years of age. Despite the difference in age, they all have one thing in common and that’s their passion for DIY.”

Source : Bedford Today
www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/local/competition-winner-opens-new-b-q-store-1-5643386