The new eco aware B&Q flagship store...

On 18th Februrary, Robert, Lynne and Shino paid a visit to the new B&Q flagship store in New Malden, South London. It's in a great location right on the A3 and proclaims to be B&Q's "greenest store". All credit to B&Q on these green initiatives of which the key features are:

• A wind powered signage tower – it's huge and I wonder how they got planning consent

• Thermal pile ground source heating and cooling – not sure exactly what this means but it sounds impressive

• Passive ventilation and natural lighting – the design certainly provides plenty of natural light in the store

• Roofing harvests rainwater

• 10%+ on site renewable power generation.

The result is a multi level, bright store that's easy to shop and creates a pleasant shopping experience. It's big and so are the ranges and they can be difficult to shop. The decorative range lacked a spring feeling but this could just be a timing issue.

There were more staff than in your average B&Q in amazing black and orange uniforms with up to 7 B&Q logos – we suspect that only Lewis Hamilton displays more!

For such a pleasant store the B&Q café was somewhat a missed opportunity. Located on the second floor it's a large inviting space with a utility feel.

Overall we enjoyed the experience and we even bought some spring bulbs on special offer. It's a big move forward for B&Q and the challenge will be to maintain the operational standards over the coming months.