1,200 jobs at B&Q owner Kingfisher - graduate jobs

Graduates looking for jobs in the retail industry may want to take a close look at B&Q owner Kingfisher.

Kingfisher, which owns the DIY chain, has announced that it is to create more than 1,200 new jobs.

It made the announcement as it revealed a 24% increase in half-year profits to £439.

Kingfisher will open 40 new Screwfix stores between now and the end of January 2012, taking the total across the UK to 215 and creating 1,000 new jobs.

Meanwhile it is planning to turn 29 former Focus stores into B&Q outlets, creating another 230 posts.

The move follows a successful trial of its smaller Screwfix outlets, Ian Cheshire, Kingfisher's chief executive said.