B&Q confirmed as next retail partner for GIMA Buyer Connect
GIMA is pleased to confirm that B&Q - the UK’s leading home and garden improvement retailer - will be the featured retail team at the forthcoming Buyer Connect event, taking place on Tuesday 24th February 2026. This exclusive session is open only to GIMA members.
Hosted at B&Q’s Head Office in Eastleigh, the meeting marks the second in a planned series of Buyer Connect sessions for 2026. Designed to strengthen supplier–retailer partnerships, these events provide GIMA members with direct access to senior buying teams, enabling meaningful dialogue, new commercial pathways, and accelerated growth.
Sustainability is a core focus of this Buyer Connect, with a spokesperson for B&Q outlining its current objectives by saying: “We want to make sustainable choices easier for our customers, helping them to create healthier, more sustainable homes. We’re building on our heritage of looking after people and our planet. We were a founding member of the Forest Stewardship Council 30 years ago and we’ve led the industry when it comes to peat-free compost, removing harmful chemicals and developing low VOC water-based paints.”
Aligned with this ambition, B&Q is inviting innovative, sustainability-led product concepts and new category proposals. The retailer is particularly interested in hearing from GIMA members whose ranges support customers to make responsible home and garden improvements. Both stocked and dropship propositions will be reviewed.
GIMA Membership Ambassador, Tony Kersey, commented: “We remain committed to delivering a comprehensive programme of ‘Meet the Buyer’ events – and they do not come bigger than this opportunity with B&Q. This is an exceptional chance for members to open discussions, present their product innovations, and engage with a retailer that places sustainability at the heart of its strategy. With dropshipping also under review, the potential routes to market are broader than ever.”
How to participate
Exclusive to GIMA members – each approved supplier will be allocated a dedicated 25-minute meeting with the B&Q buying team. Additional appointments may be arranged for multi-category suppliers.
- Attendance - maximum of two representatives per company.
- Cost - free of charge to GIMA members.
- Application deadline - Friday 16th January 2026. Interested members should complete the official application form and submit it to info@gima.org.uk. Separate applications are required where multiple product categories apply.
- B&Q approval - all submissions are subject to review and confirmation by the B&Q team. Meeting times will be confirmed by GIMA once selections have been finalised.
Find out more
For further information or to register interest, please visit the GIMA events calendar at www.gima.org.uk or contact the team at info@gima.org.uk
About B&Q
Founded in 1969, B&Q’s mission is to help customers improve their homes whilst building a better world for customers, colleagues, and communities. Each year, more than 20 million people rely on B&Q for products, expertise, and inspiration.
With more than 300 stores across the UK and Ireland - supported by online platforms at diy.com and diy.ie - B&Q continues to invest in its retail estate, trial new formats, and explore future growth opportunities.