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.