B&Q increases pay for over 15,000 store employees

B&Q is increasing its minimum hourly pay for store staff to £12.71 and up to £14.05 for those in London, effective 1 April.

The move sees over 15,000 colleagues receive an extra 50p per hour – worth over £955.50 more a year for a full-time employee.

The DIY retailer claimed the new rates are among the highest of all major UK retailers and said that its minimum rate is well ahead of the UK Government’s 2025 National Living Wage (£12.21 per hour), and 11p per hour above the Real Living Wage (£12.60 per hour).

It added that the wage rate applies to all colleagues aged 18 years old or above and those in apprenticeships, who receive the same pay as other colleagues doing the same role.

B&Q chief executive Graham Bell said: “We’re delighted to further recognise the exceptional value, commitment, and performance delivered by our colleagues every day.

“We pride ourselves on having one of the UK retail sector’s most competitive pay positions. We believe rewarding our colleagues fairly is a critical part of delivering growth for our business and continually improving the experience we provide for our customers.

“We also remain committed to supporting our colleagues’ professional development through our training offering – including our apprenticeship scheme which has already been completed by over 2,000 colleagues.

“These initiatives all contribute to our ambition to make B&Q a great place to work with a high-performance culture that delivers for our customers.”

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