David Quayle David Quayle David Andrew Quayle (19 August 1936 – 6 April 2010) was a British businessman best known as co-founder of the UK DIY chain B&Q. He worked in the Marley Tile company in the 1960s and together with his brother-in-law Richard Block started the B&Q retail chain in 1969. Their idea of large warehouse-style DIY stores copied the style already successfully operating in other European countries, but was unknown in the UK and B&Q soon became the largest retail suppliers of DIY products in the UK. David left B&Q in 1982 and moved on to other companies, working in
Fast Retailing the first section (large companies) of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company also owns the American brand Theory; Fast Retailing acquired "an equity stake in Link Theory Holdings Co Ltd, the marketer of the Theory and Helmut Lang apparel brands, in 2004". It acquired the rest of the company in 2009. In 2007, it unsuccessfully offered a bid of US$900 million for Barneys New York department store to the Jones Apparel Group. In 2012, the company purchased an 80% stake of premium denim company J Brand for US$290 million and US$10 million in advisory legal fees. Fast Retailing In addition