Kingfisher, the home improvement retailer which owns the B&Q and Castorama chains, is poised to reshape its Chinese business in its latest bid to crack one of the world’s most difficult DIY markets.
Ian Cheshire, chief executive, said the group planned to trial a smaller version of its current “big box” format, and was considering testing a “design centre” format, where customers could plan the interior for a whole apartment, then pay a workman to install it.
“Big box DIY retail is not the model for China, so we’re going to try something else,” said Mr Cheshire. “If you can afford to buy the products, as a matter of class, you won’t get involved in their installation.”