Kingfisher has announced that B&Q's chief executive Martyn Phillips is leaving the business after 19 years, with Kevin O'Byrne assuming direct leadership.
Mr O'Byrne, ceo of B&Q and Koçtaş brands, will take over from Mr Phillips as head of the company following an overhaul of its management team and a move to "simplify the B&Q structure", according to Kingfisher.

Three new directors have also been appointed to the board across omnichannel, supply chain and marketing.

Meanwhile, Kingfisher has also announced that it is planning to reduce the size of some of its B&Q stores by shrinking each store footprint by 5%, cutting 15% of its overall selling space in the UK. This decision was influenced by excessive business rates, according to the Kingfisher boss.

Read more on B&Q's management changes and plans to cut retail space in this week's DIY Week magazine.