Kingfisher has announced that chief executive Thierry Garnier will step down after seven years leading the home improvement retailer.
Garnier is leaving the business to lead the Netherlands-headquartered supermarket group Ahold Delhaize from April 2027.
In a statement, Kingfisher said Garnier will serve his 12-month notice period and will stay in his current role to ensure a ‘smooth and orderly’ transition of responsibilities.
While Garnier’s exact departure date is yet to be announced, the search for his successor has already begun and will include a review of both internal and external candidates.
Change at the top: Thierry Garnier, the chief executive of B&Q owner Kingfisher, is quitting the group to take up a new job
Claudia Arney, the group’s chair, said Garnier had led the company through the pandemic and ‘driven many strategic innovations such as the launch of Kingfisher’s marketplaces and the development of our trade business.’
Before joining Kingfisher, which owns the B&Q, Screwfix and Castorama brands, Garnier worked for 20 years with Carrefour where his most recent role was chief executive of Asia, with responsibility for more than 350 stores in China and Taiwan.
In a statement, Garnier said it had been a ‘real privilege to serve as Kingfisher’s CEO over these years’.
‘I remain focused on continuing to execute on our strategic plans with all my energies, so as to leave Kingfisher in the best possible shape for the future, and I look forward to ensuring a successful transition to my successor in due course.’
Shares in Kingfisher rose 0.46 per cent to 282.3p this morning, having gained around 44 per cent since Garnier joined.
In March, Kingfisher unveiled an increase in annual profit on the back of cost-saving efforts and ‘standout’ performances from its B&Q and Screwfix brands.
The FTSE 100 firm revealed sales in the UK rose 3.3 per cent to £6.72billion for the year ended 31 January 2026.
This boosted annual profits, which rose 6 per cent to £560million, despite the business flagging higher employment costs in the UK.
The business said it expected profits to grow again this year, guiding towards adjusted profits of between £565million and £625million for the current financial year.
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