B&Q Marketplace under fire as Naturewall MD blasts 'unmonitored free for all'

B&Q recently hosted a Board Immersion Day, which aimed to take executives on the journey experienced by Marketplace sellers.

Joanna Mckew, Head of Business Development - Marketplace, said: "Our Board Immersion Day brought the B&Q board right into the heart of Marketplace. We took them on the journey of our sellers. We unpacked our growth, celebrated the seller ecosystem we’ve built, and shared what’s coming next, including our expansion into Click and Collect, international acquisition, and the future of Marketplace."

"It was more than a presentation. It was a moment to spotlight the ambition, collaboration, and innovation powering the Marketplace - and the incredible team making it happen."

The execs might want to take note of comments made by Naturewall Managing Director Philip Brown, who has taken to social media to explain why his company has left B&Q Marketplace.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "In my view it has become an unmonitored free for all. No brand protection. No content control. No meaningful oversight.  It was lauded as a game changer in the online DIY space that would compete with the likes of Amazon giving greater opportunity and exposure to independent brands, whilst opening up choice for their customer base…but the infrastructure and control processes don’t seem to be anywhere close to on par."

He added: "This isn’t a hate on B&Q post - they are a brand I respect and I know how much effort has gone into launching the marketplace but the policing needs stepping up and quickly. Presently competitors can steal your imagery, copy your listings, and even use your registered trademarks to make money - and B&Q in our experience have not to date done anything/taken any action to stop it … despite it being flagged formally.”

“Case in point: we’ve found a seller currently using our Naturewall name, imagery and global trademarks to sell products (multiple listings) that are completely unrelated to Naturewall. They’re piggy-backing on our reputation to profit, while confusing customers in the process and risking both ours and B&Q’s reputation and brand equity."

"For a retailer of B&Q’s scale, it’s honestly shocking that this is allowed to happen - Amazon on the other hand have very robust trademark controls in place and monitoring of seller accounts. Put simply Marketplace growth shouldn’t come at the expense of brand integrity or customer trust and I’m genuinely shocked that despite escalating this with B&Q with our account contacts we’ve heard nothing back."

"It’s time for proper moderation…and a call to our solicitors… unless someone from B&Q wants to reach out proactively and resolve this with us."

B&Q did not respond to our request for comment.

UPDATE: Brown has now edited his LinkedIn post to state that B&Q has reached out to him and resolved the issue. "Hopefully a scenario that leads to more proactive processes to protect merchants and customers moving forward," he commented.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Online retail will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now closed for entries with our finalists and shortlists being announced last week, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

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