B&Q’s ecommerce range is expected to grow from 300,000 to more than four million in coming years, as its online marketplace grows. At the same time, the Screwfix website is expected to become a hundred times faster through a replatforming. Both results are predicted as parent company Kingfisher adopts technology through a new strategic partnership.
Kingfisher is using Google Cloud in a new five-year partnership for a range of solutions, from infrastructure to data analytics.
“At Kingfisher, we have an ambitious technology strategy in place,” says JJ Van Oosten, chief digital and technology officer at Kingfisher. “Google Cloud is an engineering organisation at its heart, while simultaneously understanding the complex retail landscape. As we look to the next phase of growth and the kind of talent we want to attract, this meeting of minds was a real draw for us. To reach our goal of creating a world-class engineering centre, we need a technology stack that will support us to experiment and move quickly. Google Cloud is helping to position us as a true digital leader, and our global teams and customers will benefit as a result.”
As well as providing a platform for ecommerce improvements, Kingfisher also plans to create a new, real-time order system to improve stock accuracy. It will use Google Cloud AI tools to power visual search for customers. The two are already working together and have developed a roadmap that is designed to position Kingfisher as a digital leader.
Thomas Kurian, chief executive of Google Cloud, says: “We’re proud to work with Kingfisher to optimise, accelerate, and grow its ambitions. Partnering with global retail leaders like Kingfisher to help create even better in-store and online shopping experiences for customers is a key indicator of the power of the cloud to digitally transform retail.”
Kingfisher sells online and from about 1,500 shops in eight European markets including the UK, under retail fascias including B&Q, Screwfix, Castorama, Brico Dépôt and Koçtas. Screwfix and B&Q are both ranked Top50 in RXUK Top500 research.
