B&Q introduces new £12.71 rule from April

B&Q has announced it will raise its UK minimum hourly rate to £12.71 per hour from April, with the London rate increasing to up to £14.05 per hour. From April 1, 2025, more than 15,000 B&Q colleagues will receive an extra 50p per hour – a boost worth over £955.50 extra a year for a full-time worker.

Crucially, the full increase will be paid from day one and not spread across the year. The new rates are among the highest paid by any major UK retailer.

They sit well above the UK Government’s 2025 National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour and 11p above the Real Living Wage of £12.60 per hour.

Unlike the Government’s age-based minimum wages, B&Q – as a multigenerational employer – will pay the same minimum hourly rate to all colleagues aged 18 and over.

This includes apprentices, who receive the same pay as other team members in the same role.

Graham Bell, CEO of B&Q, said: “We’re delighted to further recognise the exceptional value, commitment, and performance delivered by our colleagues every day.

“We pride ourselves on having one of the UK retail sector’s most competitive pay positions. We believe rewarding our colleagues fairly is a critical part of delivering growth for our business and continually improving the experience we provide for our customers.

“We also remain committed to supporting our colleagues’ professional development through our training offering – including our apprenticeship scheme which has already been completed by over 2,000 colleagues.

“These initiatives all contribute to our ambition to make B&Q a great place to work with a high-performance culture that delivers for our customers.”

B&Q colleagues also benefit from family leave, an award-winning pension scheme with up to 14% employer contributions, shopping discounts, wellbeing support and 20% off B&Q products.