B&Q was founded in March 1969 in Southampton, England, by Richard Block and David Quayle, following the purchase and fitting out of a former furniture warehouse in the Southampton suburb of Portswood. Originally called Block & Quayle, the duo soon shortened the brand to B&Q as stock delivery notes and invoices were already unofficially abbreviating the name. By each working over sixty hour, six day weeks, they were able to repay their bank overdraft within six months of opening, with turnover reaching £1million within the first five years of operating. Following the departure of co founder Block in 1976, the chain
Silvan Byggemarked Silvan Byggemarked Silvan is a Danish retail DIY store with headquarters in Århus, Denmark. In July 2017, Silvan was bought by Aurelius Equity Group. It had been part of DT Group, owned by the British building materials supplier company Wolseley plc. Silvan opened its first DIY store in Slagelse in 1968, and today operates 40 do-it-yourself retail stores in Denmark, as well as 11 stores in the southern part of Sweden. Besides retailing, Silvan also offers DIY schools. In 2008 Silvan and its sister company Stark were widely criticized due to the selling of granite from India, produced under objectionable