Thierry Garnier, a veteran of French retail giant Carrefour, will succeed Véronique Laury at B&Q and Castorama owner Kingfisher – the exact date is still to be arranged – and hopes rest on him to get the business into shape.

Since Laury’s departure was revealed in March, the speculation had been that the DIY conglomerate would look outside the home improvement sector for its next boss.

Garnier is that. He has 22 years under his belt at grocery giant Carrefour, including seven years as chief executive of its China business, but he faces a challenge at Kingfisher.