B&Q product revamp in stores targets ‘fashion-driven females’

B&Q, which is owned by FTSE 100 firm Kingfisher, said it would spend £19m in developing new tiling and flooring shops within shops, which will see it launch £32m of products.

An additional £18m will be invested in more “fashion-driven female friendly” ranges.

The ranges, which fall under the Colours brand, are a part of Kingfisher’s sourcing strategy with around 35 per cent of the new tiling range being common across the group so customers will find the same products in the UK or its Castorama chain in France and Poland.

Martyn Phillips, B&Q UK and Ireland chief executive, said: “Customers from Penzance to Perth can buy products in B&Q knowing they are as stylish as those sold in our sister stores in Paris – globally sourced yet tailored to local trends and at the best possible prices.”

Among the product launches will be 64 new hard wood flooring products.

The announcement comes ahead of a trading update later this week, when the company is expected to reveal that the dismal weather in April left a dent in the sales.

Retail analyst Philip Dorgan expects B&Q’s owner Kingfisher to report an 11 per cent drop in the chain’s like-for-like sales for the first quarter as it also comes up against tough comparisons with strong trading a year earlier.

It will leave B&Q profits down by 11 per cent to £66m, with the wider UK and Ireland operation, including trade arm Screwfix, off 11 per cent at £76m.

However there is still cause for optimism at Kingfisher, which has impressed analysts with a four-year turnaround programme that has resulted in full-year profits more than doubling to £807m.

Mr Dorgan, an analyst at Panmure Gordon stockbrokers, said the second quarter should see some pick up in momentum, with shoppers catching up on seasonal purchases and amid softer comparables with a year earlier.

The weak euro recently prompted Mr Dorgan to cut his pre-tax profits forecast by £23m to £840m for the current financial year and by £53m to £996m for the following year.

Kingfisher’s stock market value has more than doubled to just under £7bn since the launch of its “delivering value” strategy in 2008.

Targets in the next phase of Kingfisher’s development plan include the UK roll out of DIY training classes and the launch of B&Q’s You Tube channel with “how to” video instructions.

It will also give customers more ways to shop, including via smartphones and tablet computers.

Chief executive Ian Cheshire said the next challenge was to turn Kingfisher into a world-class retailer.