Wickes is investing significantly in its professional kitchen and bathroom offer by "acquiring design consultants and installers from B&Q", as its rival pulls plug on installation services in the category.

Wickes says it is bucking the retail slowdown to meet demand for fully designed and installed kitchens and plans to “rescue hundreds of jobs” following B&Q’s decision to simplify and streamline its bathroom and kitchens offer.

The retailer has seen a continued growth in demand for fully-designed and installed kitchens, and is investing significantly in its professional kitchen and bathroom offer by acquiring design consultants and installers from B&Q; as the retailer pulls these services from its business. 

Wickes said: “As rival DIY retailers reduce or cease their professional design and installation services, Wickes’ recruitment drive is targeting 900 B&Q colleagues, demonstrating continued commitment to providing the best customer experience - showcasing consumer confidence in the market and bucking the current negative trends seen in the retail sector.”

Wickes already boasts more than 600 design consultants across 230 showrooms nationally, and plans to bolster this with an additional 150 design consultants. In addition, its installer network, with over 1,900 teams, is looking to take on 750 skilled fitters, responding to the increased demand for kitchen and bathroom installation.

The recruitment drive forms part of Wickes’ ongoing investment into its kitchen and bathroom offering, which also includes new showroom layouts and store refits in over 100 stores to date, as part of a long term roll-out initiative. The transition of the new team will be completed by the end of 2018.

Wickes HR and operations director Fraser Longden said: “Our kitchen and bathroom showroom offering is witnessing an increasing demand from consumers wanting a fully installed service, so by taking on more installers and design consultants, we’ll be able to undertake more projects for customers. We believe that the demand and growth in this area represents a multi-million pound opportunity, and a bolstered team will help us tap into this, becoming the go-to-brand when it comes to choosing a new kitchen or bathroom.”

"We're really excited to welcome a new pool of talent that will bring some fantastic experiencee to our business, and delighted that so many are choosing to further their career with us. With the role of kitchen continuing to chhange from simply a functional space to the heart of the home, ensuring that customers can benefit from a dedicated and personal service when making such a big and significant purchase is really important to us. Our end-to-end service means customers can enjoy a bespoke design suited to their space with a design consultant, have access to the latest products, they can even get down to the detail of what paint goes on each wall, with the work carried out by our approved installers; tying the whole journey together under one roof.”