Is B&Q open today? New lockdown opening times, Click & Collect and online delivery updates

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 7 January 2021

Here we go again. As of Tuesday 5 January 2021, the UK is back in lockdown. That means that you can only exercise once a day, you can only leave home for work if you are unable to work from home and all non-essential shops have closed. So, for example, if you had a hair cut appointment booked, consider it unbooked and order some of the best hair clippers now as you might be needing them for the next three months.

The upside to the new lockdown, is that you now have more at-home time to get that DIY project done that you've been planning over Christmas and get your garden into shape so it's a welcoming outdoor space when spring rolls around. And spring does feel as though it's just around the corner.

In the first UK lockdown, all UK stores immediately closed and then what were deemed to be essential retailers re-opened gradually. In the new lockdown, however, essential retailers can remain open.

What is an essential retailer? Essential retail is defined by the government as "retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences."

So if you are asking "Is B&Q open today?" the answer is: Yes, all branches of B&Q remain open at the moment.

Additionally, you can place B&Q orders online and have them delivered to your home, which is a better bet given that the government also says, in terms of travel: "If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live." Delivery is free if you spend over £50.

You can also collect your orders from the store using the Click & Collect service: if you place an order within an hour of the store closing, your items will be available the next day.

Currently, B&Q looks to have a much wider range available online and in store than it did during lockdown 1.0 in 2020 when demand forced it to scale its range right back so now is a good time to shop before the spring DIY and gardening frenzy kicks in.

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B&Q first closed all stores on Tuesday March 24, 2020. It was allowed to re-open because the government believes DIY and hardware stores are essential, and are therefore exempt from the order to close. As of the weekend of Saturday May 4, 2020, all B&Q stores re-opened with the exception of B&Q stores in the ROI and Guernsey which followed later, and all B&Q stores remain open in the new lockdown.

If you don't fancy the inevitable queues at the door and the checkouts, you can still order DIY, gardening and essential working-from-home items like desks, the best office chairs and more from B&Q online today – both home delivery and one-hour Click & Collect are available.

Shop the B&Q website here.

If you want to order from B&Q you'll find everything you need to know, plus our pick of the best buys and deals at B&Q online, right below...

See deals at B&Q online now – free delivery when you spend £50 or one-hour click and collect
Browse the B&Q online clearance section for big discounts

Other places to buy garden plants online

Direct Plants eBay store – established since 2006, an eBay award winner
Suttons – up to 50% off until the end of January
Dobies – save up to 50% until January 31 (while stocks last)
Amazon.co.uk – yes, Amazon does sell plants
Crocus– 2 for 1 offers on spring plants
Thompson Morgan – massive range of plants and vegetables
Browse garden furniture at Wayfair

More items from B&Q

Which B&Q shops are open and what are the B&Q shop opening hours?

All B&Q stores are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday. Opening times on Sundays vary by store (check the store locator on the B&Q website to find Sunday hours for your local branch).

At the stores, there are social distancing measures in place, such as distance markers on the floor, sanitiser stations for trolleys and perspex screens at checkouts. You'll almost certainly have to queue to get in.

B&Q requests that you limit your shopping group to no more than two people and that you do not bring children under 16 year's old. Groups of two are permitted due to the bulky nature of some of the items available for takeaway.

When it comes to paying in-store, B&Q is accepting card, gift card and contact-less payments only.

In terms of when to visit the stores, B&Q says: "If you want less queuing (who doesn’t), try coming in a little earlier in the day or later in the afternoon. Don’t forget we are now open until 8pm Monday."

Is it safe to go to shop at B&Q?

The B&Q shops that are open have a limit on how many people can be in the store at any time. This is to ensure shoppers can keep their distance from each other. Look out for the ‘safe space’ markings that will help you maintain your distance. There are also a number of other measures to keep the stores as sanitary as possible: stores are regularly cleaned, and any staff with symptoms have been asked to stay home on full-pay.

Note that the government says you should not leave your town, village or area of the city you live in, so unless you live next door to a B&Q (unlikely) ordering online is a better option during the new lockdown.

Can I order from B&Q online?

Yes, you can place orders with B&Q online. When you do, you can choose whether to collect from your local store (Click & Collect) or you can get your order delivered to you.

B&Q says that deliveries are currently running on time "in most instances but this may change". It adds: "Our delivery teams will contact customers on a case by case basis, please ensure we have your mobile phone and email address details."

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Can I shop Click & Collect from B&Q online?

Yes, B&Q’s Click & Collect service is working and if you place an order within an hour of the store closing, your items will be available the next day.

If you use Click & Collect and the store is open then your order will be available for collection at the Click & Collect desk.

Collections can be made between 8am and 5pm Monday to Saturday. Usual trading hours apply on Sunday.

Is B&Q home delivery open?

Yes, you can order a B&Q delivery, and it’s possible to make this contactless.

Can I buy plants at B&Q today?

Yes, plants are available to purchase on diy.com using Click & Collect.

At its stores, B&Q says "The essential retailer designation enables us to offer our full range, and our garden centres have re-opened as part of our store re-opening programme. Our re-opened stores are offering a range of plants, composts, tools, pots and other gardening needs."

Can I buy paint at B&Q today?

Yes, you can. B&Q tells us that you can buy a wide range of brands and options for all paint related projects in store.

Shop online at B&Q - browse deals on DIY equipment, garden furniture and more

Paul Douglas is Global Digital Editorial Strategy Director at Future and has worked in publishing for over 25 years. He worked in print for over 10 years on various computing titles including .net magazine and the Official Windows Magazine before moving to TechRadar.com in 2008, eventually becoming Global Editor-in-Chief for the brand, overseeing teams in the US, UK and Australia. Following that, Paul has been Global Editor-in-Chief of BikeRadar and T3 (not at the same time) and later Content Director working on T3, TechRadar and Tom's Guide. In 2021, Paul also worked on the launches of FitandWell.com and PetsRadar.