CARMARTHEN’s B&Q store awaits news that will decide its fate. The store, which is owned by the Kingfisher Group, could well be part of a nationwide closures procedure and staff will be hoping their store avoids the cull. The company, that also own Screwfix, saw their pre-tax profits fall by 15.2% in 2014 and, as a result, have also recently parted company with chief executive of their and Ireland operations, Kevin O’Byrne. They intend to close 60stores nationwide.
The Kingfisher Group was unable to comment on the fate of the Carmarthen branch other than that they have made clear there will be an imminent public statement. They has issued a statement saying: “Kingfisher has said for some time that B&Q UK & Ireland can adequately meet local customer needs from fewer stores and that some of the stores should be smaller.
“Chief executive Veronique Laury, who took over from Sir Ian Cheshire in December, said the closure plan was one of a number of ‘sharp’ decisions being taken by the FTSE100 Company. She said: “Home improvement is a great market with huge potential and Kingfisher has strong position within it with further scope to grow in a sustainable way .However, it is clear to me that we need to organise ourselves very differently to unlock our potential.
“The company have already confirmed 6 closures of their stores in Southampton, Dundee, Mansfield, Birmingham, Greater Manchester and Barnsley. They have said, however, that there will be opportunities for re-deployment of B&Q staff at their new Screwfix stores. The nearest Screwfix store to Carmarthen is in Parc Pemberton, Llanelli.
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