£18m investment sees DIY giant enter the furniture market, stocking sofas, beds and white goods.
B&Q will make its debut in the furniture market following an £18m investment in new and improved kitchen, bathroom and bedroom showroom ranges.

The Kingfisher-owned DIY chain will offer a range of home furnishings, including sofas, tables, chairs and office furniture online at diy.com, while further investment will be made into its bedroom furniture range, expanding into mattresses, bedframes, headboards and even children's toy boxes.

The move, which is B&Q's biggest push yet into the home improvement market will take the retailer head to head with the likes of Argos and Ikea.

It also echoes Kingfisher group chief executive Ian Cheshire's comments earlier in the year that the DIY retailer would go after "pockets of share" that have been freed up in the market as a result of furniture retailer MFI's demise.

A new range of home appliances, including washing machines, tumble driers and retro Smeg fridges and freezers will be available from B&Q next month.

Although the DIY sector, currently worth £11bn, is predicted to shrink by 7% this year, B&Q ceo Euan Sutherland said he has seen a trend towards the retailer's customers "improving rather than moving".