Kingfisher plc

Forests are crucial to the planet’s health. As a business that relies heavily on wood and paper, responsible sourcing of these materials is one of our core commitments but our work to support the preservation of forests extends much further.   Since 2020, we’ve been working towards our Forest Positive ambition, ensuring that by the end of 2025, we source 100% responsible wood and paper across our business. Beyond this, we are actively protecting and restoring forests through our partnerships, like the Rainforest Alliance’s Forest Allies initiative. As a co-founding member since 2021, our funding collectively supports Indigenous People and local communities in tropical forests globally spanning 190,000 hectares and benefiting over 5,000 livelihoods.   For example, Forest Allies is working with communities in Mintom and Bana, Cameroon to develop thriving local enterprises and sustainable forest management plans - preserving these sacred, biodiverse, and critical forest areas amid increasing pressure from large-scale rubber, palm oil, and cocoa farming.   Screwfix and B&Q have been working with The Woodland Trust since 2022 on local forestry projects supporting woodland creation and restoration projects. Together we have sponsored key sites around the UK, focusing on the regeneration of landscapes with native tree planting, protection of ancient woodland and peat regeneration projects.   On this International Day of Forests, we reaffirm our commitment to a future where businesses don’t just minimize their impact but actively contribute to a world where forests thrive.

This Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we’ve been #CelebratingDifference with a host of events organised by our Neurodiversity Affinity Network. Colleagues learnt about enhancing their sensory processing with bibic, heard an insightful conversation between our CTO Christopher B. and Diversity and Inclusion consultant Charlotte Williams about the importance of neurodiverse strengths in the workplace, and met up in person to celebrate with a doodle wall and cake! Last night, we attended the British Diversity Awards, where we were finalists for two awards. Our Together Stronger campaign was shortlisted for the Global Diversity Inititiative of the Year award and our Group Functions Neurodiversity Network was shortlisted for the Outstanding Employee Network of the Year award. We’re so proud to have been shortlisted, and a huge congratulations to all colleagues involved 👏🏻

Say Xin Chào to our new office in Vietnam 🇻🇳   Since its founding in 2009 as a small quality assurance team of four, our Vietnam office has expanded to play a crucial role in sourcing and supply chain functions. This modern space reflects our commitment to growth and innovation. 

This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. We're celebrating with a week of events designed to help understand, value and celebrate the talents of neurodiverse minds.    Jimmy Day MSc, a Software Engineer and member of our Neurodiversity Affinity Network shares what the week means to him 👇

Our Own Exclusive Brand, GoodHome, was recently awarded an iF Design award for their Shelby compact gas barbecue.   As a globally recognised mark of design and quality, this award is evidence of GoodHome’s commitment to developing functional and stylist products for every home.   Designed in-house, this barbecue is made for smaller outdoor spaces, carefully balancing cooking capacity without compromising on convenience. Made for everyone, it’s the perfect addition to every small space or urban garden.   Great job to our in-house design team 👏

A pot for every plant, garden, and home 🌱   This week, our Own Exclusive Brand, Verve, is launching their new pot range in B&Q, Castorama Polska Sp. z o.o., and Brico Depot Romania (part of Kingfisher Group). This collection combines quality, sustainability, and affordability to provide a wide range of pots to suit every space.   Get a sneak peak of the new range👇

Just 2% of the UK’s tradespeople are women. And with our research showing that the UK will have a shortfall of 250,000 tradespeople by 2030, the industry urgently needs more female talent. That’s why B&Q launched its campaign, encouraging people to ‘do the lift thing’, featuring 10 inspiring tradeswomen to inspire and lift the generations of tomorrow. The lack of role models is a critical barrier to girls choosing to be trade professionals, so B&Q is putting a spotlight on those who are already breaking barriers. As B&Q Supply, Logistics and Customer Service Director, Amélie Gallichan-Todd, said, ‘you cannot be what you cannot see’. 

Today is International Women’s Day and we've been celebrating all week with a host of activities organised by our Women’s Affinity Network. Here’s what the week meant to our colleagues 👇

Continuing with our International Women’s Day celebrations, hear from Katherine Leivesley (Ph.D. Laws), Head of Legal for the Offer and Sourcing team, and member of our Women's Affinity Network, on what #IWD means to her.

This morning we kicked off our International Women’s Day celebrations with a fantastic talk from Mary Ann Sieghart, author of the book ‘The Authority Gap’.   Mary Ann explained what the Authority Gap is and how it manifests itself, and then was joined by Kate Seljeflot, Christopher B., gregoire dufour and Sapna Dutta who shared their own personal experiences, perspectives and advice.   This year’s focus for International Women’s Day is accelerating action, and we’re pleased to have hosted such a meaningful conversation today so we can close the gap and enable all colleagues to grow and thrive.