Kingfisher plc, the UK-based home improvement giant, is taking online shopping to the next level with a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud, leveraging agentic AI to transform the customer experience across its brands — including B&Q, Castorama in France and Poland, and Brico Dépôt France.
The partnership focuses on two main initiatives:
Intelligent Search with Vertex AI
Kingfisher is upgrading to Vertex AI Search for Commerce, moving beyond rigid keyword searches to conversational, intuitive discovery. This allows customers to find products more quickly and accurately, matching modern shopping behaviors. Early trials at B&Q have already demonstrated significant improvements in search relevance and user engagement.
Agentic AI Shopping Assistants
The deal also introduces proactive AI shopping agents, unlocking Kingfisher’s extensive product and data catalogues to guide customers through complex home improvement projects. These agents can plan projects, generate optimized shopping lists, and execute purchases — essentially acting as a personal home improvement assistant.
“Through this partnership with Google Cloud, we are enabling our customers to search for and buy home improvement products with AI — delivering a fully personalised and easy shopping experience,” said Thierry Garnier, CEO of Kingfisher plc. “These investments put Kingfisher at the forefront of AI-powered shopping, helping us meet rapidly evolving customer needs.”
Matt Renner, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Google Cloud, added: “Kingfisher is setting a new standard for how retailers use cloud solutions to solve complex customer problems. By integrating Vertex AI and preparing its data for an agentic future, they are creating truly helpful, conversational shopping experiences.”
Building on Existing AI Infrastructure
This partnership expands on Kingfisher’s in-house AI platform, Athena, launched in 2023, which powers virtual assistants like Hello Casto and Hello B&Q. It also leverages the modernization of Nucleus, Kingfisher’s central data lake, providing a secure and scalable foundation for future AI initiatives.
E-commerce already accounts for over 20% of Kingfisher Group sales, and the integration of Google Cloud’s AI tools is expected to accelerate digital growth while enhancing omnichannel customer engagement.
Beyond search and shopping assistants, Kingfisher continues to collaborate with Google’s Ads and Shopping teams to optimize online performance, demonstrating a holistic approach to data-driven, AI-enhanced retail.
With this investment, Kingfisher is positioning itself as a leader in AI-powered retail, showing how agentic AI can reshape online shopping from discovery to checkout — particularly in complex, project-based categories like home improvement.
Power Tomorrow’s Intelligence — Build It with TechEdgeAI
