ONE of Hampshire's largest employers is to pump millions of pounds into giving its DIY stores a new look as part of a plan to revive the ailing chain.

B&Q, which employs 1,200 people at its split-site UK headquarters at Chandler's Ford, along with hundreds of staff at its local stores, wants the makeover to help breathe new life into the business.

The three-year refurbishment programme in the UK will involve 110 stores of about 100,000 sq ft and could cost a total of £200m to complete.

As yet it is too early to say whether the stores at Nursling and Portswood Road in Southampton, along with the Hedge End and Titchfield outlets, will be among the first of the 338 outlets run by the DIY giant to be revamped.

Details, which come from parent company Kingfisher, are likely to be announced in the autumn.

Two months ago Kingfisher announced that profits had dived 70 per cent in the UK because of a challenging market.

Analysts expect a slight improvement in trading figures when the company reports sales for the half-year stage later this week. B&Q's underlying sales in the first quarter fell by 8.8 per cent.

Kingfisher is currently trialling new-look stores at Gloucester, Milton Keynes and Luton.

The sites devote more space to products within a showroom effect, in particular for kitchens, bathrooms and tiling.

A spokesman said: "Consumers are increasingly more interested in the finished look they can get, rather than the process of getting there."

Space allocated to showroom products is likely to increase by 40 per cent to about a quarter of the store. Kingfisher said that the changes were part of a trend to move DIY stores away from displaying items in long aisles. If the trials are successful, Kingfisher is expected to announce the go-ahead for the plan at its interim results in September.