B&Q Stretford to close in January

It has been reported that B&Q Stretford is to close.

The firm’s Great Stone Road outlet will shut in January after a closing down sale which will launch next Monday.

The move is part of the home improvement chain’s plan close as many as 60 stores by the end of March 2017 as its UK and Ireland business is restructured.

Parent company Kingfisher, which currently has around 350 B&Q stores, also closed its Hyde store earlier this year - though could not confirm whether other stores in Greater Manchester would be closing.

Kingfisher could also not confirm how many jobs would be lost by the closure of the Stretford store, but said job losses would be mostly offset by it opening 60 new outlets of its Screwfix brand.

It said it would also look to redeploy positions to other parts of the business.

A spokesman for the firm said: “From Monday, November 23, B&Q Stretford will remain open for a closing down sale, where customers will have the opportunity to take advantage of some extra special offers.

“Throughout this period, customers at Stretford will continue to receive the great shopping experience and specialist advice they are accustomed to, however, a number of the standard B&Q services and products will no longer be available.

“Following the move, we will continue to serve customers at our Trafford Park store , which provides the great choice of product for which B&Q is known, plus a number of additional services, currently not available in Stretford.”

Services on offer at Trafford include a B&Q warehouse which boasts a full size outdoor garden centre and builder’s yard plus a larger format kitchen and bathroom showroom which allows customers to view and touch a wider selection of products.

There is also a full size Tradepoint counter offering specialist advice and service to trade customers, a coffee shop, a Valspar paint mixing service, carpet and vinyl cuttings services, van hire, battery recycling and facilities for disabled customers.

The move to shut stores was announced in March as it posted a 7.5 per cent drop in annual profits to £675 million after sales fell by 1.4 per cent to £11 billion in the year to January 31.

At the time it denied that the UK DIY market was in decline and said the store closure plan reflected a desire to reinvigorate the company’s UK offer, and said it was clear that B&Q had too many stores in its estate.

Source : Manchester Evening News
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/bq-stretford-set-close-part-10452855