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On this episode of Talking Shop I’m joined by Alain Bejjani—former Group CEO of Middle East retail giant Majid Al Futtaim, and author of the definitive new book, NEXT: Leading Through the New Realities. Drawing on his childhood in war-torn Beirut, and his experience steering a $9.5bn dollar retail and lifestyle empire through a global pandemic, Alain brings an unmatched perspective on leadership under pressure. Today, we break down his crisis survival playbook for retailers operating in distress. We discuss why resilience must always outpace efficiency, the four assets a brand must protect at all costs, and how to turn macro-turmoil into a long-term direction that scales.

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B&Q has announced that it will be increasing its UK minimum hourly rate to £12.71 per hour, and its London rate to up to £14.05 per hour.

The increase will be paid in full from 1st April and not staggered across the year meaning that from April 2025, over 15,000 B&Q staff will get an extra 50p per hour.

The company will also pay the same minimum hourly rate to all staff aged 18 years old and over, including apprentices, who will receive the same pay as other colleagues doing the same role.

The minimum rate is well ahead of the UK Government’s 2025 National Living Wage (£12.21 per hour), and 11p per hour above the Real Living Wage (£12.60 per hour).

Graham Bell, CEO, B&Q said: “We’re delighted to further recognise the exceptional value, commitment, and performance delivered by our colleagues every day. We pride ourselves on having one of the UK retail sector’s most competitive pay positions. We believe rewarding our colleagues fairly is a critical part of delivering growth for our business and continually improving the experience we provide for our customers.

“We also remain committed to supporting our colleagues’ professional development through our training offering – including our apprenticeship scheme which has already been completed by over 2,000 colleagues. These initiatives all contribute to our ambition to make B&Q a great place to work with a high-performance culture that delivers for our customers.”

Staff at B&Q also receive family leave, a pension scheme with up to 14% employer contributions, access to shopping discounts with a number of other retailers and entertainment brands, wellbeing support and a Colleague Support Fund via its Retail Trust partnership

 

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