Multinational retailer Kingfisher has agreed a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to integrate AI into its online shopping experience.

The deal focuses on two key areas. The first is the rollout of Google Cloud’s Vertex AI – an AI agent development platform – across e-commerce platforms for its brands B&Q, Castorama France and Poland, and Brico Dépôt France. This will move the sites “beyond traditional keyword search” and enable proactive, AI-driven solutions, Kingfisher said on Wednesday. The company said that early trials at B&Q have already shown meaningful results.

The second focus is working with Google Cloud to build “proactive AI shopping agents,” which Kingfisher said would work with customers to perform tasks including generating smart shopping lists and planning complex home improvement projects.

Thierry Garnier, Kingfisher’s chief executive, said: “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.

“These investments put Kingfisher at the forefront of AI-powered shopping, delivering meaningful innovation as part of our expanding digital ecosystem, and helping us to meet rapidly evolving customer needs.”

This agreement builds on a longstanding partnership between Kingfisher and Google Cloud on its e-commerce platforms, which make up over 20 per cent of the retail group’s sales.

Kingfisher already uses AI extensively. It offers AI assistants built on its in-house Athena AI platform across a number of its sites, including B&Q, and last October announced plans to accelerate the rollout of automation and AI across its IT operations. Last year, B&Q also trialled an AI-powered transport optimisation platform to reduce its carbon footprint.

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