B&Q to axe 200 roles, including 130 at SSO

B&Q has confirmed it intends to cut up to 200 roles, including 130 based at their SSO (Store Support Office) near Southampton. B&Q’s owner Kingfisher currently employs 2,000 people at its Eastleigh head office, a large proportion working for B&Q and others in their centralised buying and IT teams.

Group HR Director Helena Feltham said: “The new structure will improve efficiency, simplify ways of working, and reflect recent changes in the market and the number of B&Q stores. We want to be the leading home improvement company and make home improvement accessible to everyone. That means delivering great quality at prices that are truly affordable. To do that, we must operate differently.”

She confirmed that B&Q has begun consulting with those employees affected by the redundancies and the body that represents them, the National People’s Forum.

Several large bricks and mortar retailers have been cutting roles since the beginning of the year including the largest grocery retailers Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda.

Insight Analysis & Commentary

B&Q’s parent firm Kingfisher is over two years into 'Kingfisher One' a five year transformation plan, during which CEO Veronique Laury intends to 'change almost every single part of the company'. The pressure is now on, as she has committed to delivering an additional £500m of profits by 2021 and return £600m to shareholders. After over two years, the changes have only delivered £101m and patience from some key investors is starting to wear thin.

Source: Insight DIY Team

For all the very latest news and intelligence on the UK's largest home improvement and garden retailers, sign up for the Insight DIY weekly newsletter.