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Home Improvement is not benefiting from the construction boom

The construction industry in Europe has grown at an average of two per cent in recent years.
The construction industry in Europe has grown at an average of two per cent in recent years.
01.06.2018

Although the construction industry in Europe has grown at an average of two per cent in recent years, neither the number of home improvement projects nor their expenditure have grown in return. This discrepancy has been pointed out by USP Marketing Consultancy on the basis of the European Home Improvement Monitor.
In 2017 the construction industry grew most strongly in the Netherlands (5 per cent) and Spain (4 per cent), but most weakly in Italy (1 per cent). In general, however, tradesmen and building contractors have well-filled order books. In contrast, expenditure on the European home improvement market shows no real growth, according to USP, even though there are major differences. For example in Austria, Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands, growth rates of more than 5 per cent were recorded, while in countries such as Italy or Great Britain there were massive declines.
USP sees two reasons for the stagnant expenditure: on the one hand the share of do-it-for-me projects is currently not rising, and in the case of pure DIY projects, handymen spend less than when a professional is brought in. On the other hand there is increased competition, for example due to online trading, which puts pressure on prices.
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