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B&Q has raided its own ad agency, Bates UK, to fill its top

marketing post, appointing David Roth as director of brand and

marketing.

Roth, who worked on B&Q's UK and international business as Bates'

strategic planning director, joined the Kingfisher-owned retailer this

week.

Reporting to George Adams, managing director of B&Q's commercial

division, Roth will develop a portfolio of own-label brands and oversee

a pounds 36m adspend.

Roth's appointment comes three weeks after head of marketing Mark Beeley

left B&Q following a disagreement with chief executive Bill Whiting

about the direction of the company's marketing strategy (Marketing, May

31).

Last October, Whiting initiated a restructuring of the B&Q business into

three units, including a commercial division, into which the marketing

function was absorbed. Beeley, who has yet to take a new job, was

unhappy with the plans, and is understood to have felt that marketing

would become marginalised within B&Q.

"We had reached the next stage of discussions over the integration of

marketing and it became apparent that we did not see eye-to-eye," he

said at the time.

The focus on the commercial function at B&Q comes as part of a broader

strategy at Kingfisher, as it strengthens its emphasis on its core

electrical and DIY retail business.

Electrical retailer Comet, B&Q's sister chain, last week hired a

commercial director to oversee its marketing strategy. Hugh Harvey,

previously director of global sourcing at Kingfisher, will be

responsible for Comet's pounds 23m ad budget. He replaces Paul Geddes,

who left to become marketing chief at Argos.

Roth was unavailable for comment as Marketing went to press. He has been

with Bates since 1999. Prior to that, he ran his own consultancy.