B&Q to close five stores

After announcing in July that two of its stores in Belfast and Derry are to close, B&Q has confirmed that a further three of its stores in Northern Ireland are to close.

The hardware giant’s owner, Kingfisher, stated that branches in Ballymena, Craigavon and Sprucefield will now shut with around 300 jobs in danger as a result.

In a statement, the company said that following a review of its retail space requirements in Northern Ireland, it has decided to move its business to four stores “by January 2017.”

Kingfisher it claimed they had not taken the decision to close the stores lightly and that B&Q would “endeavour to find positions for as many employees who are affected by change as possible, either at the four remaining B&Q stores or elsewhere in the Kingfisher group, such as Screwfix.”

It also confirmed that B&Q is currently in discussions with other retailers about the future of the store locations.