B&Q

The company was founded by Richard Block and David Quayle in 1969 and is currently a fully owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc. 

From its humble beginning with one store being opened in Portswood in 1969, the company has grown and has an international presence. The company’s original name was Block & Quayle but was quickly changed to B&Q. The company quickly expanded and by 1979 had 26 stores across the United Kingdom. Richard Block left the company in 1976, and David Quayle left in 1982. The company grew very quickly through a combination of mergers, expansions, and acquisitions, and in 1980 B&Q bought Dodge City, the Hampshire-based company.