Military Audit: B&Q

B&Q - Military Audit

Audit Phase: Military Audit Target Company: B&Q (B&Q Limited, trading arm of Kingfisher plc; parent group also operates Castorama, Brico Dépôt, and Screwfix) Scope: Direct and indirect military/defence-sector exposure, with particular attention to Israeli defence, security, and settlement-linked supply chains.

Direct Defence Contracting & Procurement

B&Q is a UK-headquartered home-improvement and DIY retailer operating as a subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, with its corporate governance and strategic reporting disclosed through Kingfisher’s statutory filings ¹². Kingfisher plc’s own corporate history and group structure are documented in standard reference sources, with no defence, security, or military-contracting activity described in either B&Q’s or Kingfisher’s own governance disclosures ³⁴. No public evidence identified of any contract, tender award, memorandum of understanding, or framework agreement between B&Q (or Kingfisher plc) and the Israeli Ministry of Defence, IDF, Israel Prison Service, Israel Border Police, or any other Israeli state security body. No SIBAT directory listing, defence exhibition catalogue entry, or defence trade-press report of cooperation between B&Q/Kingfisher and Israeli defence procurement bodies was identified.

Dual-Use Products & Tactical Variants

B&Q’s documented retail activity spans DIY, home improvement, and garden retail, operated under the B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, and Screwfix brand names ¹². No public evidence identified of B&Q manufacturing, marketing, or distributing ruggedised, tactical, mil-spec, or defence-grade product variants of its consumer/tradesperson-facing product lines. No public evidence identified of any export licence, end-user certificate, or government export-control review connected to sales of B&Q-branded or B&Q-sourced products to Israeli defence or security end-users.

Heavy Machinery, Construction & Infrastructure

B&Q’s Middle East presence is limited to a franchise partnership with the Al-Futtaim Group, which operates B&Q-branded stores in Saudi Arabia, including two stores in Riyadh ⁵⁶. No equivalent B&Q franchise, licensee, or branch presence in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories was identified in this research. No public evidence identified of B&Q equipment, vehicles, tools, or building materials documented by NGO investigations, UN reporting, or photographic evidence as used in Israeli settlement construction, the West Bank separation barrier, or military installation construction in the OPT. No verified direct, distributor, or secondary-market supply pathway connecting B&Q products to such end-uses was identified, and No public evidence identified of B&Q holding construction or engineering contracts for checkpoints, detention facilities, military bases, or settlement infrastructure.

Supply Chain Integration with Defence Primes

Cross-checks against published UK-supplier-to-Elbit-Systems reporting and arms-trade monitoring did not surface B&Q or Kingfisher as a named supplier ⁷⁸⁹. No public evidence identified of B&Q supplying components, sub-systems, raw materials, or manufacturing services to Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, or Elbit Land (formerly Israel Military Industries). No public evidence identified of joint development, co-production, or technology-transfer arrangements between B&Q/Kingfisher and any Israeli defence prime contractor.

Logistical Sustainment & Base Services

No public evidence identified of B&Q providing catering, transport, fuel, waste management, facilities maintenance, or telecommunications services to IDF bases, training facilities, or detention centres, whether in the West Bank, Golan Heights, East Jerusalem, the Negev, or elsewhere. No public evidence identified of shipping, freight, or port-handling contracts servicing Israeli defence logistics or military cargo, as distinct from B&Q’s routine commercial retail-goods shipping and distribution operations.

Munitions, Weapons Systems & Strategic Platforms

No public evidence identified of any role by B&Q as a manufacturer, licensed producer, or component supplier for small arms, artillery, armoured vehicles, tactical drones, naval vessels, missile defence systems (Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow), fighter aircraft, main battle tanks, or ballistic missile systems. No public evidence identified of B&Q involvement in munitions, explosive ordnance, propellant, or warhead-component supply of any kind.

Export Licensing, Regulatory & Legal History

No public evidence identified of export licence grant, denial, suspension, or revocation decisions naming B&Q or Kingfisher in connection with Israeli defence trade. No public evidence identified of arms-embargo enforcement actions or sanctions-compliance investigations naming B&Q or Kingfisher. No public evidence identified of court proceedings or judicial review naming B&Q or Kingfisher regarding an Israel-linked defence supply relationship, based on checks of UK export-licensing news coverage and general sanctions-tracking sources.

Civil Society Scrutiny & Documented Investigations

The UN Human Rights Office’s database of business enterprises involved in Israeli settlement activity - updated most recently in September 2025 to list 158 entities across 11 countries, concentrated in construction, real estate, mining/quarrying, and banking/finance - does not name B&Q, Kingfisher plc, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, or Screwfix in any retrieved version ¹⁰¹¹¹². Who Profits - The Israeli Occupation Industry, a leading civil-society database tracking corporate involvement in the occupation, was checked for B&Q/Kingfisher cross-references and returned no matching company profile ¹³. AFSC Investigate, a further NGO-maintained corporate-accountability database, likewise returned no B&Q- or Kingfisher-specific entry ¹⁴. The Don’t Buy Into Occupation (DBIO) coalition’s resource archive contains no B&Q- or Kingfisher-specific report, campaign page, or listing ¹⁵. No public evidence identified of an Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, or Corporate Occupation report specifically addressing a B&Q military, security, or dual-use supply-chain relationship with Israel. No public evidence identified of an organised boycott or divestment campaign targeting B&Q specifically on defence-sector grounds, and No public evidence identified of B&Q public statements, contract terminations, or end-use monitoring commitments issued specifically in response to Israel-related civil society pressure.

End Notes