Following the news that B&Q is to cull 200 jobs at its head office in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, fellow Kingfisher brand Brico Dépôt is reportedly set to cut more roles across the channel, in France.
Brico Dépôt has over 121 depots in France and Castorama shops number over 100 in the country. News agency Reuters has reported 409 jobs would be cut by Kingfisher in France, while 102 jobs will be created and 164 positions will be transferred.
Kingfisher’s woes come amid troubled times for rival Wesfarmers, which recently admitted its disappointment at its move into the UK and Ireland through the acquisition of Homebase.
Kingfisher Group sales were down 0.5% in its Q3 financials, with Screwfix almost making up for sales drops at B&Q, Castorama and Brico Dépôt. Kingfisher is currently implementing its five year ‘ONE Kingfisher’ project, designed to bring more unity to the business, which operates various brands across multiple territories, often with regional variations – for example, Brico Dépôt in France, Spain, Romania and Portugal all operate in different ways. More details here.