B&Q - Economic Audit

Supply Chain & Sourcing Relationships

B&Q, through its DIY.com retail platform, currently stocks and markets garden storage products, sheds, and furniture under the Keter brand, an Israeli-founded (1948) manufacturer headquartered in Herzliya, Israel; this relationship was confirmed live as of August 2026 ¹². Documentation shows this commercial relationship dates back to at least 2012, when the UK campaign group Corporate Watch corresponded directly with B&Q regarding its Keter sourcing ³⁴. B&Q also currently stocks Palram (Palram-Canopia) branded polycarbonate greenhouses, an Israeli manufacturer founded in 1963, confirmed via live product listings as of August 2026 ⁵⁶. No public evidence identified of B&Q commercial relationships with Israeli agricultural exporters such as Mehadrin, Hadiklaim, Galilee Export, or Agrexco successors, consistent with B&Q’s status as a home-improvement and garden retailer rather than a fresh-produce retailer. No public evidence identified that B&Q uses a dedicated import or joint-venture entity for Israeli-origin goods. No public evidence identified linking B&Q commercially to Hamat Group (formerly Lipski Plastic), a separate Israeli manufacturer with a documented West Bank settlement-zone facility ⁷⁸.

Product Origin, Labeling & Regulatory Compliance

Who Profits documented that Keter operated a manufacturing facility in the Barkan Industrial Zone in the occupied West Bank, established in 1982 on land from the Palestinian villages of Haris, Bruqin and Sarta ⁹¹⁰. In 2014, in response to NGO inquiries, Keter stated it “does not own any facility or operation in what the UN defines as the occupied territories”; Who Profits researchers documented Keter-branded trucks at the Barkan factory yard on 21 March 2014, contradicting that denial ⁹. Multiple sources indicate Keter ceased its Barkan operations during 2014–2016 following BDS-related pressure, with this specific-site discontinuation corroborated across sources ¹¹¹⁰¹². In direct response to Corporate Watch in 2012, B&Q stated: “We are not sourcing from the Barkan site and have received appropriate guarantees from Keter to verify this claim. We continue sourcing from Keter whilst engaging with them” ³. B&Q additionally stated around this period that it would avoid sourcing “from conflict zones and/or occupied territories” as a general policy, though Corporate Watch at the time argued this policy was not consistently applied to the Keter/Barkan situation ³⁴. No more recent B&Q or Kingfisher statement addressing Keter’s settlement history, its 2014–2016 Barkan exit, or its 2024 ownership change was identified. Secondary reporting indicates that Hamat Group (formerly Lipski Plastic) has continued operating a factory in the Barkan settlement industrial zone producing plastic plumbing and sanitation products exported to Europe and labelled “Made in Israel,” and that this entity was included on the 2020 UN settlement-business database ⁸⁷. No public evidence identified of DEFRA or UK customs audit findings, enforcement actions, or regulatory citations against B&Q specifically regarding country-of-origin labeling of settlement-produced goods.

Investment, Capital & Financial Exposure

No public evidence identified of B&Q or parent Kingfisher plc making operational investments - acquisitions, factories, data centres, logistics hubs, or real estate - within Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories. No public evidence identified of Kingfisher or B&Q operating research and development facilities, technology partnerships, or accelerator programmes in Israel. Kingfisher plc’s largest disclosed shareholders include Silchester International Investors LLP (approximately 11%), Vanguard Group (approximately 5.5%), and BlackRock (approximately 4.9%) - holdings that are predominantly passive, diversified institutional and index-fund positions rather than evidence of a deliberate Kingfisher corporate decision regarding Israel exposure ¹³. No public evidence identified of Kingfisher plc or B&Q holding Israeli-domiciled equities, Israeli sovereign bonds, or Israel-focused funds on its own corporate balance sheet, distinct from the third-party institutional shareholdings noted above.

Operational Presence & Market Activity

No public evidence identified of B&Q offices, retail stores, warehouses, or support centres located in Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories. B&Q’s Middle East retail footprint operates via franchise agreements with the Al-Futtaim Group, documented specifically in Saudi Arabia, with no mention of Israel found in any reviewed franchise or licensing material ¹⁴¹⁵. No public evidence identified of B&Q or Kingfisher characterising Israel as a market in reviewed summaries of Kingfisher’s annual report and accounts materials ¹⁶¹⁷. No public evidence identified of B&Q employment or tax contribution in Israel, consistent with the absence of any confirmed operational presence there.

Corporate Structure & Foundational Ties

B&Q was founded in Southampton, England in 1969 and has never been Israeli-founded or Israeli-incorporated. Its parent, Kingfisher plc, is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and incorporated in England and Wales ¹⁶. No public evidence identified of dual or legacy Israeli headquarters, Israeli state ownership stakes, Israeli government board appointees, Israeli government contracts, critical-infrastructure designation, or structural governance features such as golden shares or founder shares tying B&Q or Kingfisher to the Israeli state.

By contrast, Keter Group’s ownership history is well documented: the company was majority-owned by private equity firm BC Partners and Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) from August 2016, acquired from the Israel-based Sagol family, which retained a minority stake ¹⁸¹⁹. Following an IPO withdrawal in 2022 and a failed 2023 sale process, Keter’s senior lenders took full ownership of the company via a debt-for-equity restructuring completed on 29 April 2024, displacing BC Partners and PSP Investments as controlling owners ^20212223.

Profit Repatriation & Economic Contribution

No public evidence identified of B&Q or Kingfisher disclosing Israel-attributed revenue, consistent with the absence of confirmed Israeli retail operations. The commercial and financial flows identified in this audit run in one direction only: B&Q, based in the UK, purchases goods from Israeli-founded manufacturers Keter and Palram, meaning revenue and profit flow from B&Q to these Israeli-domiciled or Israeli-founded manufacturers through product purchase rather than the reverse ¹²⁵⁶. Neither Keter nor Palram is a B&Q subsidiary or joint venture; they are independent, third-party brand suppliers. Keter Group’s dividend flows to the Israel-based Sagol family during its period of minority ownership (2016–2024) are referenced in secondary reporting corroborating the family’s original and retained ownership stake, though this specific dividend-flow claim was not independently verified against a primary corporate filing ¹⁸¹⁹.

End Notes