B&Q moves HQ into New eco-friendly Offices in Southampton
B&Q Plc has announced that it is moving its headquarters to a brand new, eco-friendly office space in Southampton.
B&Q House, Southampton - new UK headquaters
The new office, to be named B&Q House, has three floors and more than 220,000 sq ft of office space. The bespoke premises will house a merchandising laboratory, training centre, meeting room suites, as well as a staff gym, creche and kitchens, plus parking for more than 900 cars. With a growing UK branch network of over 320 DIY stores, there was a clear business requirement for a new HQ .
The DIY retail company will be moving more than 1,400 employees into the new office space, over an eight week period. This office relocation process will consolidate staff from several office premises across the Southampton and Eastleigh area.
By using sustainable products throughout, the building’s designers BDP Architects aim for the new office property to be close to carbon neutral. These technological improvements include a natural ventilation system with heat sensors, which will automatically open and close windows to keep B&Q’s heating and cooling bills down, providing a comfortable and cost-effective workplace.
A spokesman for the company said the new eco-headquarters have been built using the latest green technology:
“B&Q will be using biomass boilers to power the heating system and there will be a 100,000 litre rainwater harvesting tank, which will be used to irrigate the surrounding landscape and to flush the toilets.”
B&Q the DIY giant is owned by Kingfisher Plc. an international retail group with nearly 900 stores in eight countries, employing 80,000 people with nearly six million people visiting their shops every week.
The green office building – which took just over two years to complete – will be officially opened this September by yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur and the TV presenter George Clarke, B&Q’s celebrity ambassador.