Korea as second station in Asia

South Korea is the second Asian country in which Kingfisher has become actively involved after China, where B&Q has taken over Obi's stores and intends to more than double the total number of outlets to around 50 within twelve months.
B&Q Home shares the Seoul location with a Lotte Mart hypermarket.
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is where Kingfisher has now opened the country's first DIY superstore on western lines. The new B&Q Home was inaugurated in early June on a site in Guro that is shared with Lotte Mart, one of Korea's leading hypermarket operators.
The new DIY store is situated on the ground floor and offers a full range of kitchen, bathroom, paint, tiling and decorative products that comprises over 35 000 items on a floorspace of 7 200 m². Eighty-five per cent of the products are sourced from Korean suppliers, who actually import some of them. The range also includes major Korean brands such as LG and Samsung.
The full range includes kitchens and bathrooms.
As in other parts of the world, B&Q works in collaboration with smaller suppliers in South Korea who offer interesting or unique products. This gives them the opportunity to grow together with B&Q in the future. The company could also import more goods from Europe or other parts of Asia if there was sufficient demand from customers. International brands like Dulux and Benetton will be selling their products in Korea for the first time through B&Q.
Nor are private labels absent from the product offer, even though they account for a relatively small share. They are imported from China and Taiwan. B&Q Home is to be established first as the master brand, but there are some standard B&Q brands and some entry-price “Value” items as well. B&Q's “Colours” are currently expected to work well in Seoul.
David Willians, Chief Executive of B&Q Home in South Korea.
The store's product offer is complemented by the Home Project Service, which provides a design and installation service for kitchens, bathrooms and whole homes. This service is based on the experience that the UK company has gained in China, where it fitted out 10 000 apartments last year. The retailer offers courses for DIY beginners in its Home Learning Centre as still another service.
Further stores are to follow this first one in South Korea, outside Seoul as well. “We are planning the opening of two or three more B&Q Home stores by the end of 2006,” explains David Williams, Chief Executive of B&Q…