The popularisation of do-it-yourself

According to Euromonitor International, home improvement in Spain continues to record a positive performance thanks to the growing practice of DIY. Spaniards largely prefer to rely on a professional to undertake home improvement projects. Nevertheless, the proliferation of DIY online blogs and literature, as well as DIY courses online or through retailers, had the effect of popularising do-it-yourself amongst the younger generations.
DIY in Spain used to be limited to small projects such as home decoration, painting or furniture renovation. The rapid expansion of large home improvement and gardening stores, such as Leroy Merlin or BigMat, generated a much wider offer than in previous years and supported the demand for home improvement products, Euromonitor International states.
The latest figures which the market research provider draws on are from 2016. The total market then had a volume of EUR 2.682 bn.
Power tools registered amongst the fastest growth rates in 2016, thanks to the good performance registered by cordless drills. Screwdriver drills particularly attracted the attention of Spanish consumers, due to increasing the level of convenience for a task that is generally perceived as quite tedious. In general, cordless power tools increased their presence thanks to the better performance allowed by lithium-ion batteries and the wider availability of products in stores.
The reactivation of the construction industry also drove growth in floor covering. Whilst carpets continued to decline, floor tiles, the most popular floor covering in Spain, registered 2 per cent growth. Sales in wooden flooring and other floor covering were driven by the popularisation of laminate and vinyl floors, which meet the preference of Spaniards thanks to their easy installation and low cost.
Thanks to the emergence of online retailers specialised in home improvement, such as ManoMano.es, Bricoprive.es, Ferreteria.es, or large retailers' web stores, internet retailing grew to a 4 per cent value share in 2016. Also, home improvement and gardening stores increased its share thanks to new openings, led by chained retailers such as Leroy Merlin, Akí (both belonging to the French Groupe Adeo and having announced to merge in 2018) or the German Bauhaus chain.