Should a business be like your family? The boss of B&Q thinks so
A business should be more like a family in order to attract employees with the right moral and cultural judgements, the boss of B&Q has said.
Graham Bell added that the DIY giant’s approach to company culture gives it “credibility” and that business and family can’t be separated.
The comments from the boss of Kingfisher-owned B&Q were made in the latest episode of City PM‘s on-camera interview series, Boardroom Uncovered.
As well as insisting that B&Q’s family-like culture was not the red flag some might consider it to be, Bell also opened up about his ambitions to reach the top job and what he expects from new employees.
‘This is a story that really humbles me’
Speaking about the retailer’s culture, Bell said: “When I first joined B&Q, it was one of those characteristics of B&Q that it grabs hold of you and it grows into you without you knowing.
“It’s that family spirit and we’ve got people working for us for 40, 50 years and you do become a family.
“We get a lot of people who are really dedicated to this business.
“This is always a story that really humbles me: during the pandemic I met a lady in our Nottingham store and she just wanted to talk to me and say her husband had a bit of an illness that made him quite vulnerable.
“But she said she still wanted to work because she wanted to feel part of the team.
“We were quite happy to furlough her but she did end up working as she felt such a strong bond.
“She said she wanted to work and be part of it even though she knew she was taking a slight risk.
“It really did humble me and her dedication, that B&Q family spirit, was greater than mine at that time, and we have a lot of people like that.”
Bell added: “Everyone is welcome at B&Q as long as we can make you fit in but it’s a place where you can be yourself.
“It’s a culture where you come in and you’re part of a family. We take care of you and we try to make the best of you, if you want to. If you just want a job to earn money, that’s fine too.
“It is a culture that becomes a bit of a family and we try as hard as we can to make it that open culture where people can be who they are.
On whether work and family should be apart from one another, Bell insisted that they can’t be separated.
He added: “People work well when there family’s happy so I think that whole family thing supports that.
“I think that gives us credibility because we are a business but people are in this world to live and enjoy life and family is such a big part of it.
“I think if you try disconnect the two you lead people who may not have the same moral and cultural judgements as they do if they see it as ‘I want to be treated how my family are treated’.
How is B&Q owner Kingfisher performing?
Bell’s comments come after B&Q owner Kingfisher reported a “resilient” set of half-year results after a series of profit warnings in 2023, but weaker sales in France continued to weigh on profit.
For the six months to 31 July, 2024, Kingfisher’s sales fell by 1.8 per cent overall, to £6.75bn from £6.9bn, while gross profit fell by 0.6 per cent to £2.5bn.
The British multinational, which also owns Screwfix, said operating profit rose by two per cent to £374m, and earnings per share rose by 3.9 per cent to 12.8p.
Sales in France fell by 7.2 per cent year on year due to the “soft consumer backdrop”, the company said, while sales of big-ticket items fell by 6.8 per cent year on year.
E-commerce sales rose by 8.4 per cent, and sales at Screwfix and Tradepoint were positive, the company said.
Last year, Kingfisher issued two profit warnings for B&Q as it said a weak economy would dismantle its earnings for the full yearbut an improved economic backdrop seems to have aided the retailer, as sales at B&Q dipped only 0.2 per cent in the UK during the period.
Boardroom Uncovered
Boardroom Uncovered is City PM‘s flagship on-camera interview series, featuring the top bosses of the biggest and best-known companies operating in the UK.
Previous guests have included the likes of Sir Tim Martin, the founder and chairman of pub giant Wetherspoon, and the founder and CEO of Pensionbee, Romina Savova.
Boardroom Uncovered has also featured IKEA’s UK&I CEO, Peter Jelkeby, the CEO of the Virgin Group, Josh Bayliss, the president of Robinhood UK, Jordan Sinclair, and the CEO of Purplebricks, Sam Mitchell.
To catch up with all the previous episodes, click here.