DIY retailer B&Q has launched an iPhone app. The company says the B&Q App is an indispensable guide for DIY novices and more experienced handymen and women alike, bringing the knowledge of B&Q’s experts to the iPhone.

It offers advice on safety while working, what to wear and how to use basic tools and equipment; to more advanced jobs such as fixing a burst pipe, replacing electrical switches, and erecting or fixing gates and fence. The ‘How To’ guides are easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions to guide users through each job, and there’s also a Glossary of DIY terms.

The app will also create a list of tools needed to complete a task and show the closest B&Q store if you need to stock up on anything. Users will also receive the latest offers and promotions direct to their phone as soon as they are announced, as well as weekly DIY and Eco tips. Users can pass the knowledge on to friends through links to Facebook and Twitter.

“We want to help our customers get the best results from any job they undertake, wherever they are in store picking up the products or at home about to embark on the project,” says Dave Elliott, director of B&Q Direct. “We all feel more confident with someone to help and advise us, and the app is designed to do just that and offer customers everything they need right in the palm of their hand.”

The app was developed by digital agency Five by Five and Jigsaw, part of Mobile Interactive Group (MIG). B&Q says the app is a first for the Retail DIY sector.