History of B&Q
Discover the history of B&Q from 1969 to the present day, and find out how, four decades on, we are the largest home improvement retailer in Europe.
B&Q has been proudly serving customers since 1969, when two men walked on the moon, and two men called Richard Block and David Quayle opened their first store in Southampton.
B&Q in the 1960s
In the 1960s professional building supplies were mainly found at builders’ merchants and hardware stores, and DIY was a hobby of the few. Block and Quayle wanted to bring value, longer opening hours and a broader product range to everyone, so in 1969 they opened their first store in Portswood Road, Southampton, Hampshire in a disused cinema. Although initially called Block and Quayle, the name was soon shortened to B&Q.
B&Q in the 1970s
In a decade famous for avocado bathroom suites and psychedelic patterns, B&Q grew to meet customers’ demand for homes that reflected their groovy new tastes. We expanded across the South East, reaching 26 stores by the end of the decade, and introduced products from power tools through to sheet boarding and Formica to the British public. Block and Quayle were achieving their ambition of bringing DIY to the masses, even if, looking back, the masses’ sense of style was a little flamboyant by today’s standards.
B&Q in the 1980s
Everything grew in the 80s: hair, shoulder pads, B&Q’s product range and B&Q’s stores. B&Q bought Scottish DIY chain Dodge City and became part of the Kingfisher Group, then known as Pater Noster.
B&Q in the 1990s
The world embraced Cool Britannia, and British B&Q embraced new opportunities further afield. B&Q merged with France's leading DIY retailer, Castorama, to become the largest DIY retailer in Europe, and Kingfisher led an international expansion into China and Taiwan. On the home front, B&Q began opening for business on Sundays so that customers could crack on with home improvements projects whenever they wanted to.
B&Q in the 2000s
At the dawn of a digital millennium, B&Q launched www.diy.com so that customers could buy bricks (and more) with just a few clicks. Going online meant B&Q could provide 24 hour, 7 days a week access to B&Q products, expert advice, inspirational room ideas and 'how to' guides, plus general information on our stores and our community activities. With an increasing awareness of the need to protect our planet, we developed a sustainability programme, One Planet Home, to ensure the business operates with environmental responsibility at its core.
B&Q from 2010 onwards
The way customers shop, use their homes and live their lives continues to evolve, and we continue to bring customers brilliant solutions that are innovative and sustainable, including paint that can be colour-matched to any item and peat-free bedding plants. The way we run our business is evolving too, as we draw on the strength of our bigger corporate family and source more products through Kingfisher. What’s stayed the same as we approach our 50th birthday is our colleagues’ dedication to providing great prices and great advice to customers who want to live better by creating smarter homes.