Kingfisher sells a broad range of home improvement, DIY and workwear products through retail banners (i.e. B&Q, Screwfix, Castorama, Brico Depot) that must be displayed securely on hooks or rails.
Hanging enables efficient use of retail space, keeps products accessible and helps customers assess and select the right item. However, existing solutions can rely on plastic components, difficult-to-recycle packaging or structures that do not maintain their performance throughout transport, handling and customer use.
A successful solution must do more than replace one material with another. It must balance sustainability with strength, product presentation, protection, ease of use, efficient packing and commercial viability. A solution that uses less material but fails in transit, on the shop floor or doing customer interaction would not be a successful solution.
The Brief
Design an innovative and sustainable hanging solution for a product sold within a home improvement and DIY retail environment. The design should:
- Improve sustainability whole retaining or improving hanging performance.
- Reduce unnecessary material use and replace or improve difficult-to-recycle components or packaging formats.
- Retain or improve operation efficiency, including hanging performance throughout production, transport, store handling and retail display.
- Provide a simple, intuitive experience for customers and store colleagues through product presentation and customer interaction.
- Protect the product and retain any necessary components or fixings.
- Work with existing retail fixtures, or propose a realistically adaptable alternative.
- Be suitable for efficient manufacture, packing and application at scale.
- Provide appropriate space for branding, product information or size identification.
- Demonstrate a credible route for reuse, collection or recycling at end of life.
Select one of the two product ranges to focus on:
- Workwear Develop a garment hanging solution for workwear such as trousers, shorts, jackets or coats. Consider garment wright, rail orientation, removal for fitting, rehanging, branding and size identification.
- Hardwear Develop a hanging packaging or merchandising solution for heavy DIY products, for example gate hardware. Consider weight, varied size and shape, product protection, loose fixings, visibility and compatibility with retail display hooks. These products vary considerably in shape and size, may include loose screws or other fixings, and can be particularly heavy.
In the course of research, you should consider the following:
- Function and durability Define the intended loas and demonstrate how the concept remains secure during transport, handling, replenishment and customer use.
- Retail experience Consider how the product appears on the hook or rail, how easily it can be assessed, removed and returned, and how the solution supports an orderly display.
- Product protection Prevent avoidable damage, loss or separation of the product, garment ot associated components.
- Manufacture and packing explain how the concept could be manufactured, applied or packed at scale. Minimise unnecessary manual handling and assembly.
- Commercial viability Consider material efficiency, production speed, transport efficiency, retail labour and the ability to use the solution across multiple products.
- End of life Explain how each material will be reused, collected or recycled within realistic waste-management systems.
Workwear
- The solution may need to support trousers, shorts, jackets and heavier cold-weather garments.
- The hanger or attachment must remain in position during transport and store handling.
- The garment must sit in the correct orientation on a standard retail rail.
- The design should avoid damaging, distorting or placing excessive stress on the garment or belt loops.
- A clear and easily replaceable size indicator is desirable.
Hardware
- The solution must hang securely on the Euroslots used in store.
- Painted, coated and finished surfaces may need protection from scratching, scuffing or other transit damage.
- Screws and other small fixings must remain securely associated with the main product.
- Customers should be able to see and assess the product without needing to open the pack.
- The solution should discourage in-store tampering and prevent individual pack components from becoming separated.
- Packing and assembly should be straight forward and should avoid excessive labour, complexity or capital investment.
- Where practical, the concept should be adaptable across a family of products rather than designed for only one item.
- The design should consider the complete journey from vendor packing through logistics, store replenishment and customer selection.
You may select any suitable material capable of meeting the functional requirements, but the choice must be justified. A fibre-based concept is not automatically more sustainable if it requires excessive material, fails during use or causes product damage. Likewise, plastics should not be selected without considering material reduction, recycled content and recyclability. Please ensure you review and incorporate Kingfisher's required materials from the Kingfisher Packaging Sustainability policy.
Entry Guidelines
Entries must include uploads of the developments boards
The 4 A3 development boards uploaded as a single PDF document should include the following:
- Research board
- Design exploration board
- Final design solution.
Development boards must not show the entrant’s name or university/college.
- Research into the current hanging problem and the chosen application.
- Concept sketches showing the development of the idea.
- Material selection with a clear technical and environmental rationale.
- Images showing the concept attached to the selected product or garment.
- Images showing the concept on the appropriate retail hook or rail.
- An explanation of manufacture, packing or application.
- An explanation of customer interaction, product protection and store usability.
- An end-of-life plan and a comparison with the current hanging solution.
Do not simply exchange one material for another. Use this challenge to rethink how DIY and workwear products are transported protected, presented, selected and returned to display. The strongest concepts will combine credible sustainability improvements with robust real-world performance and a better experience for customers, store colleagues and suppliers.
- The project names submitted at the time of entry will be printed as typed, if there are any errors and certificates/trophies need replacing, then the entrant will be liable for these costs.
- If you are not able to attend the ceremony in person or the ceremony becomes virtual, certificates and trophies will be sent by post to the entrants to the mailing address listed in the entry on 2 July 2026.
- Please make sure you have access to the mailing address past term times. If you are unsure, please enter your home address.
- IOM3 is unable to issue replacements for certificates/trophies sent to wrong addresses.
- The entry fee is £20 per entry.
- You will be invoiced for the entry payment once you have submitted your entry. If you have indicated that your college/university is paying for your entry, please ignore the invoice directed at you as another invoice will be sent directly to your college/university.
- The invoice will be received by Monday 30 March 2026 at the very latest and the deadline for payment is Friday1 May 2026. If your invoice is not paid, your entry may not be shortlisted for judging.
About the Entry
- Fir to Brief Quality of research and presentation of findings.
- Transport & In store experience Demonstration of the way in which the design will perform during transit and in store.
- Sustainability Explanation of the use of chosen material.
- Manufacturing Explanation on how the concept could be produced and used.
Packaging Engineer, Kingfisher plc
Marcin Szewczyk
Data Analyst, Kingfisher plc
Aden Newbury
Packaging Engineer, Kingfisher plc
Phil Kirby
Winner: £500.00 cash prize
Runner-up: £100.00 cash prize
IOM3 presents trophies to Gold, Silver and Bronze and certificates to Highly Commended entries.
Kingfisher plc is an international home improvement company with over 1,800 stores in seven countries across Europe. We operate under retail banners including B&Q, Castorama, Brico Depot, Screwfix Tradepoint and Koctas, supported by a team of over 7,000 colleagues. We offer home improvement products and services to consumers and trade professionals who shop in our stores and via our e-commerce channels.