B&Q owner Kingfisher brings in retail technology veteran Eve Henrikson as Non-Executive Director

European home improvement retailer Kingfisher has announced the appointment of Eve Henrikson to its board of directors as a Non-Executive Director, effective 1st September.

Henrikson is currently Senior Vice President of Trips at Booking.com, responsible for the expansion and growth of travel beyond accommodations, overseeing global teams including strategy, commercial, product and technology.

She was previously Regional General Manager at Uber Eats, leading the Uber Delivery business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and prior to that, held various roles at Tesco, including Managing Director, Online. She is also Non-Executive Director at Sonae, a Euronext listed portfolio business.

Claudia Arney, Chair of Kingfisher's board, says: "Eve brings significant expertise in managing consumer-facing digital enterprises across the retail and technology sectors. Given the strategic importance of e-commerce to our business, we are delighted to welcome someone of Eve's calibre and experience to the board. We look forward to her contributions to the work of the board as weexecute our strategic priorities."

All OK in the UK

Kingfisher recently reported a rise in ​annual profit, with a strong ‌performance in the UK offsetting softer markets in France and Poland.

For the year ended 31st January 2026, it booked adjusted profit before tax growth of 6% to £560 million, driven by gross margin expansion +80bps and cost discipline. The group, which owns B&Q and Screwfix ​in the UK and Castorama and Brico ​Depot in France and other markets, forecast a ⁠further rise in profit in its 2026/27 year.

On the digital side of things, total e-commerce sales grew +20% excluding Screwfix (21% of group sales vs 19% FY 24/25). Marketplaces are now live across all regions. B&Q launched 15‑minute Click & Collect for 1P orders and completed the roll-out of the UK’s first marketplace Click & Collect service across 300 stores

AI driven product recommendation and personalisation engines are live in all banners (excluding Iberia) - with c£165 million sales coming from this. Retail media capabilities are now available across banner apps and websites. In‑store digital media screens are in pilot at Screwfix, B&Q and Castorama France.

Thierry Garnier, Chief Executive Officer, says: "We have continued to execute our strategy at pace and delivered good margin and cost discipline. This resulted in significant market share gains, profit growth of +13% when excluding last year's business rates one off and strong free cash flow.”

“Our UK banners led the way, with sales +4% at B&Q and +4.5% at Screwfix. This reflects the growth of our digital ecosystem, increased share of wallet from trade customers and the opening of 34 new stores. We are making rapid progress against our strategic priorities across our banners.”

He adds: “Screwfix already derives c.75% of sales from trade customers and c.60% from e-commerce. Elsewhere, trade sales increased +23% as we expanded ranges, enhanced services, and deepened relationships with trade professionals, while e‑commerce grew +20%, powered by the successful scale‑up of our marketplaces.”

“E-commerce now represents one fifth of total group sales. With a mixed consumer environment across our markets, we continue to focus on delivering our strategic priorities, maintaining cost discipline and driving shareholder returns. This positions us well to capitalise on the attractive long-term structural growth opportunities within our markets."