B&Q outlet inside Hartlepool's Asda set to close down – less than two years since opening

Closures will start from March 11 and around 57 members of staff will be affected across the country.

The Hartlepool branch, inside Asda’s Marina Way store, is set to close less than two years since opening in December 2021.

Back then B&Q greeted its arrival by saying how pleased it was “to be providing customers with a more convenient way to shop for home improvement products and services”.

Other affected sites include stores in Sheffield, Lancaster, Great Bridge and Thurmaston, as well as a number of branches in London.

B&Q said the decision was made after an "intensive review" of a test format, which saw Asda and B&Q go into partnership in 2020 in response to changes in shoppers’ behaviours during the pandemic.

DIY chains strategy director Chris Bargate said: “Our ‘test and learn’ approach is an important part of building our strategy, and our aim to create consistent, small store format blueprints that can be scaled further across the UK.

“We’re continually listening to our customers and colleagues to take learnings to evolve the shopping experience in these smaller stores. We value the contribution and the commitment from our colleagues at the concession stores.”

Impacted staff will be offered alternate roles at nearby stores, so no jobs will be lost as a result of the closures.

A previous B&Q store on the Tees Bay Retail Park closed in early 2017 in a restructure of the business.