French retailer Castorama will review initial findings from a new-style store in July.
The DIY business, owned by Kingfisher, plans another three test stores by the end of summer, following the opening of the first in Hellemes, near Lille, in March. New signage and point-of-sale merchandising are among the store features being trialled.
A spokesman said that customer polls carried out so far had been positive, but planned changes are still in the early stages.
Castorama intends to decentralise its management and introduce best practice from B&Q as part of Project Wheel.
He said the changes were not about ‘tarting up’, and added: ‘It’s much more fundamental.’ There will be a focus on transferring best practice between stores as well as from other divisions, he said.
According to the spokesman: ‘There is a lot of expertise in B&Q, but that’s more relevant to the back office. (Chief executive Philippe) Tible and his team are the ones who know the French business.’
Tests could continue for another year, but initial findings may be revealed earlier.
CSFB analyst Nathan Cockrell said the biggest challenge for Castorama was the assembly of a core product range, which needs to be in place for the retailer to develop a pricing strategy.
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