Kingfisher plc

Who owns Kingfisher plc?
Kingfisher plc is a publicly traded company listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker KGF. No single shareholder has a controlling interest. Silchester International Investors is the largest shareholder with approximately 10.08 percent of shares as of February 2026. Other major holders include Mondrian Investment Partners (5.29 percent), Causeway Capital Management (3.52 percent), and Norges Bank Investment Management (3.20 percent). The company is governed by an independent board chaired by Claudia Arney.

What brands does Kingfisher own?
Kingfisher owns six retail banners: B&Q, Screwfix, Castorama, Brico Depot, TradePoint, and Koctas (50 percent joint venture). It also owns multiple private label brands including Erbauer (power tools), GoodHome (home decor), Verve (garden products), and MacAllister (outdoor power equipment). These private label brands are sold exclusively through Kingfisher's retail banners.

What is Kingfisher's revenue?
Kingfisher reported total sales of £12,945 million for FY2025/26 (year ended 31 January 2026), up 0.2 percent on a constant currency basis. Adjusted profit before tax was £560 million, up 6.0 percent year over year. Free cash flow was £512 million. In the prior year (FY2024/25), total sales were £12,784 million and adjusted profit before tax was £528 million.

How many stores does Kingfisher have?
Kingfisher operates over 1,800 stores across seven countries as of 31 January 2026. This includes 317 B&Q stores, 979 Screwfix stores in the UK and Ireland, 35 Screwfix stores in France, 94 Castorama stores in France, 127 Brico Depot stores in France, 107 Castorama stores in Poland, and additional Brico Depot stores in Iberia. The Koctas joint venture in Turkey operates additional stores.

Who is the CEO of Kingfisher?
Thierry Garnier has served as Chief Executive Officer of Kingfisher plc since September 2019. He joined from Carrefour, where he was deputy CEO. Garnier replaced Véronique Laury, who had led the company since 2014. Under Garnier, Kingfisher shifted from the "ONE Kingfisher" unification strategy to the "Powered by Kingfisher" approach, which gives each banner more autonomy while leveraging group scale.

Is Kingfisher a British company?
Yes, Kingfisher plc is a British company headquartered in London, England. It was founded in 1982 as Paternoster Stores Ltd, which acquired the British Woolworths chain. The company was renamed Woolworth Holdings plc in 1983 and Kingfisher plc in 1989. While Kingfisher operates primarily in continental Europe, it is listed on the London Stock Exchange and incorporated in the United Kingdom.

What is the Powered by Kingfisher strategy?
Powered by Kingfisher is the company's strategic plan launched under CEO Thierry Garnier. It aims to combine the benefits of distinct retail banners serving different customer needs with the scale and resources of the Kingfisher Group. Key priorities include growing e-commerce and marketplace sales, expanding the trade customer proposition across banners, developing own exclusive brands, modernizing stores (particularly in France), and growing the Screwfix and Castorama Poland store estates.

Kingfisher's origins trace back to 1982, when a consortium of institutional investors led by the merchant bank Charterhouse Japhet created a company called Paternoster Stores Ltd to acquire the British arm of F.W. Woolworth & Co. for £310 million. The consortium was led by Chairman John Beckett and Chief Executive Geoffrey Mulcahy. British Woolworth had already acquired B&Q, a DIY chain founded in 1969 by Richard Block and David Quayle in Southampton, two years earlier in 1980.

In November 1982, Paternoster changed its name to Woolworth Holdings plc. The company immediately began diversifying beyond the Woolworth general merchandise business. In 1984, Woolworth Holdings acquired Comet, an electrical goods retailer. In 1987, the company bought Superdrug, a health and beauty chain. These acquisitions transformed the group into a diversified retail conglomerate.

In December 1989, Woolworth Holdings was renamed Kingfisher plc. The name was chosen to signal a break from the Woolworth identity and to reflect the company's broader retail portfolio. Under Geoffrey Mulcahy's leadership, Kingfisher continued expanding through the 1990s. The company made a significant move into continental Europe in 1998, when it merged its B&Q chain with French home improvement retailer Castorama, which also owned Brico Depot. The deal created Europe's largest DIY retail group, with Kingfisher taking a near 50 percent stake in the combined entity.

In 1999, Kingfisher acquired Screwfix Direct, a UK-based mail-order trade tools business that would later become one of its most successful banners. Also in 1999, Kingfisher attempted a takeover of Asda, one of the UK's largest supermarket chains, but was outbid by Walmart. The failed Asda bid marked a turning point. Kingfisher's share price came under pressure, compounded by an acrimonious battle for full control of Castorama.

The early 2000s saw Kingfisher radically simplify its portfolio. In 2001, the company demerged its general merchandise business as Woolworths Group plc and sold Superdrug to Kruidvat Beheer BV. In 2003, Kingfisher demerged its electrical goods business as Kesa Electricals plc (which included Comet and Darty). These transactions left Kingfisher as a pure-play home improvement retailer, focused entirely on DIY.

In 2002, Kingfisher acquired full control of Castorama, buying out the minority shareholders for approximately £3.2 billion. This gave Kingfisher complete ownership of Castorama and Brico Depot in France, cementing its position as Europe's DIY market leader. The company also acquired a stake in Hornbach, a German DIY retailer, in 2001.

Through the 2000s and 2010s, Kingfisher focused on integrating its European operations and growing its store estate. Screwfix proved to be a standout performer, expanding rapidly from its mail-order origins into a multi-channel trade retailer with hundreds of stores across the UK. B&Q remained the UK's largest DIY chain. In France, Castorama and Brico Depot faced increasing competition and challenging market conditions.

In 2014, Kingfisher sold its controlling stake in Hornbach, exiting the German market. The company also began reducing its presence in underperforming markets. In 2016, Kingfisher launched a strategic plan called "ONE Kingfisher" under CEO Véronique Laury, aimed at unifying product ranges and IT systems across all banners. The plan faced significant execution challenges, particularly in France, and was criticized by investors for its complexity and slow progress.

Thierry Garnier replaced Laury as CEO in September 2019. Garnier, formerly deputy CEO of Carrefour, shifted strategy away from full unification toward a "Powered by Kingfisher" approach that gave each banner more autonomy while leveraging group scale in sourcing, technology, and own exclusive brands. Garnier also launched a restructuring plan for Castorama France, which involved modernizing stores, reducing head office costs, and rationalizing the distribution network.

In December 2024, Kingfisher announced the sale of Brico Depot Romania for an enterprise value of approximately €70 million. The sale completed in May 2025, reducing Kingfisher's country count from eight to seven. In 2025, Kingfisher also opened 8 former Homebase stores converted to B&Q format, after Homebase's UK administration, and expanded Screwfix to 979 stores in the UK and Ireland plus 35 in France.

For FY2024/25 (year ended 31 January 2025), Kingfisher reported total sales of £12,784 million, down 0.8 percent on a constant currency basis, and adjusted profit before tax of £528 million, down 7.0 percent. The company grew market share in all its key regions for the first time in over six years. For FY2025/26 (year ended 31 January 2026), performance improved, with total sales of £12,945 million and adjusted profit before tax of £560 million, up 6.0 percent. The company completed a £300 million share buyback and issued guidance for FY2026/27 of adjusted profit before tax between £480 million and £540 million.

Kingfisher publishes an annual Responsible Business Report and has integrated sustainability into its "Powered by Kingfisher" strategic plan. The company has set science-based targets for carbon emissions reduction, aligned with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The company's climate targets include reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 37.8 percent in absolute terms by 2025/26 (compared to 2016/17), and Scope 3 emissions by 40 percent per £million of turnover by 2025/26 (compared to 2017/18). Kingfisher exceeded both targets in FY2025/26, achieving a 68.7 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2016/17 and a 45.9 percent reduction in Scope 3 intensity since 2017/18. The company targets net zero emissions for its operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2040/41 and across its value chain (Scope 3) by 2050/51.

Kingfisher's Sustainable Home Products (SHP) program is central to its product sustainability strategy. SHP products are designed to help customers reduce the environmental impact of their homes through energy efficiency, water conservation, and sustainable materials. In FY2025/26, SHP represented 58.2 percent of total group sales and 70.1 percent of own exclusive brand sales. The company targets 60 percent of group sales from SHP by 2025/26.

The company has committed to 100 percent responsibly sourced wood and paper for its products and catalogues. As of FY2025/26, 99.4 percent of wood and paper products were responsibly sourced. Kingfisher is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

On social metrics, 40.5 percent of managers are women as of FY2025/26, exceeding the company's 40 percent target. The company's Employee Net Promoter Score was 58, placing it in the top 5 percent of worldwide retailers. Kingfisher has invested over £6 million in community projects since 2016/17, reaching more than 5 million people.

Kingfisher is not a Certified B Corporation. The company has not faced significant regulatory action regarding greenwashing, though its sustainability claims are self-reported and should be evaluated against independent verification where available.

Kingfisher has faced limited regulatory action compared to many large retailers, but several issues have drawn public scrutiny.

The Castorama France restructuring has involved job cuts and store closures, generating tension with French labor unions. In 2024 and 2025, Kingfisher announced head office cost reductions and distribution network rationalization in France, including reducing logistics space by 15 percent. French labor law requires consultation with works councils and employee representatives for restructuring programs, and these processes have extended the timeline for the France turnaround plan.

In 2024, Kingfisher completed the divestment of its approximately 80 percent equity interest in NeedHelp, a home services platform. The divestment followed strategic review of the business and was completed on 18 July 2024.

The company's failed "ONE Kingfisher" transformation plan, launched in 2016 under former CEO Véronique Laury, drew significant criticism from shareholders and analysts. The plan aimed to unify product ranges and IT systems across all banners but faced execution difficulties, cost overruns, and disappointing results. Laury departed in 2019 and was replaced by Thierry Garnier, who abandoned the unification approach in favor of the current "Powered by Kingfisher" strategy.

Kingfisher has not faced major antitrust action or environmental fines in recent years. The company's governance practices comply with the UK Corporate Governance Code, and it files regular reports with the Financial Conduct Authority.