Richard Block

Richard Block was originally from London but moved to Southampton at the age of 11 years. The grandson of the founder of Kitsons, one of the largest independent building insulators in Europe, it is no doubt that he had the building trade or building material trade in his blood.

Richard was working as a research assistant at Warner-Lambert the hair cosmetics combine when his brother in law David Quayle suggested that they set up a new kind of supermarket selling paints and decorating materials. Richard used his holding in the Kitsons shares to back a bank loan and they acquired the lease of the old cinema in Portswood Road Southampton.  They started to trade in March 1969. The idea of rows of cans of paint with easy customer access soon caught on and perhaps for the first time wives and children were wandering around a well lit shop with their D-I-Y enthusiast husband. Previously we went to often dingy lit builder's yards although of course shops such as Woolworths and Timothy Whites sold paints in their stores. Woolworths then part of the Kingfisher group Kingfisher, realised that with well displayed products in large supermarkets the influence and buying power of the female half of a partnership would match the traditional male role of buying paint, wallpaper, tools etc. It was no great surprise that with an expanding chain of B&Q stores that the Kingfisher group decided to buy out the firm.

B&Q has a large modern store in Portswood close to its original shop. The chain is based at Chandler's Ford near Eastleigh and its familiar white letters B&Q on an orange background is now known throughout the country.

Richard sold his shares in 1976 and moved onto a variety of careers - growing tomatoes commercially in Guernsey was his first venture. He then trained as a therapist taking eight years of professional training but realised his limitation of earning a substantial income so supplemented it by becoming a BSM driving instructor. After having  the licence to instruct new drivers revoked [ "too carefree and relaxed"], another change of career to the manager of a health food shop. A man of many parts!