NEWS
B&Q cuts 200 head office jobs
B&Q has announced it will cut 200 head office jobs as part of a scheme to bring down costs at the DIY chain. The retailer’s 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.”
B&Q parent company, Kingfisher had reported a drop in third quarter sales towards the end of last year, and is in its second year of a plan to boost its annual profit by £500million by 2021.
Kingfisher chief executive
Véronique Laury had said of the financial report: “We remain confident in our ability to deliver our long-term plan and in the financial and customer benefits
NHIW NEWS
Retail momentum grows for National Home Improvement Week
Direct contact with the all the main UK home improvement, DIY and garden retailers yielded a 95% open rate from recipients following the launch of the first ever industry-backed consumer promotion, National Home Improvement Awareness Week.
Three of the main
it will generate. We recognise that the transformation plans involves a lot of change for our colleagues and appreciate their continued hard work and expertise.”
The news of B&Q’s employment cuts comes as
many retailers in the DIY industry note a decline in footfall since Brexit and the drop in sterling. Ms Feltham concluded: “We
recognise this is a difficult time for our colleagues and are supporting them in a number of ways.”
Amazon to open new UK fulfilment centre
Amazon said it is increasing the size of its UK fulfilment centre network in order “to meet increasing customer demands and expand product selection”. The new site in Rugby will be its fourth fulfilment centre in the Midlands, with the online retail giant promising to create 400 permanent roles, in addition to the 2,500 people has already taken on in the region. To date, Amazon has invested £6.4 billion in the UK market since 2010 and has 16 fulfilment centres based here, including three in Doncaster and one each in Coalville (Leicestershire), Daventry, Dunfermline, Dunstable, Gourock, Hemel Hempstead, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Rugeley, Swansea Bay, Tilbury and Warrington. According to the company, the newest addition to its fulfilment centre network is in response to increasing customer demand to enable the SMEs selling in the
www.diyweek.net
wholesaler / distributors are now promoting the initiative to their retail customers and enabling them to make the most of the initiative which takes place from March 12-18. Paul Grinsell, home and garden improvement director at BHETA, the trade association which is co-ordinating the project, said, “BIRA has sponsored this initiative from the outset, so it is fantastic to see wholesalers now getting behind National Home Improvement Week and mobilising their retail reach with practical support for independent retailers keen to engage with the campaign.” Decco, Stax and Home Hardware are all promoting the ‘Love The Home You Live In’ campaign, which makes the most of the key selling period ahead of Easter. The awareness week is backed by the leading industry supplier brands and is all about inspiring and enabling consumers to get back into home improvement, make more of their garden and outdoor space, or have fun with new-style DIY, craft, and upcycling. Paul continued, “We can safely say from feedback so far that
retailers are really interested to get involved, and alongside the promotion from Decco, Stax and Home Hardware, we are working with bira to provide individual retailers with ‘welcome packs’ of POS, templated PR and social media opportunities. “The website
www.homeimprovementweek.co.uk is up and running, the consumer media is on board and social media is buzzing, so we are driving the message to consumers. All we need now is for individual retail outlets to promote the campaign locally and in store, brief their staff and ensure that they take advantage of big brand supplier involvement.”
Main sponsors include leading brands, Dulux, Polycell, Hammerite, Cuprinol, Stanley Black & Decker, Loctite, Unibond, Solvite, No More Nails, Nitromors, Fiskars, ERA Home Security, Harris, Duck Tape, Frog Tape, T-Rex Tape, Gardena, Flymo, McCulloch, Jonsered, Universal, What More UK, Trend Tools, Nilfisk, Vitrex, Plasplugs, Homelux and Duracell. The campaign is also supported by Barrettine Products, Doulton Water Filters, G Plants and Croydex. National Home Improvement Week includes all aspects of home and garden improvement from trends to techniques and from achievement to enjoyment. For more information, visit
www.homeimprovementweek.co.uk.
Amazon Marketplace platform to “scale their businesses” Amazon director of UK customer fulfilment Stefano Perego said: “We are delighted to expand our operations in the Midlands where we already have a dedicated workforce of more than 2,500 people at fulfilment centres in Rugeley, Coalville and Daventry.”
In addition, Amazon has announced plans to open three further new fulfilment centres in 2018 in Bristol, Bolton and Coventry, as well as its first dedicated UK receive centre in Coventry. The Coventry site will and act as a central hub to receive and sort millions of products sold on
Amazon.co.uk each year.
9 FEBRUARY 2018 DIY WEEK 5
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