This is what the colleagues report

The editors of DIY International maintain close contacts with colleagues at trade magazines abroad. For a special edition of diy-Fachmagazin dedicated to recent developments in Europe, we asked them to give our readers first-hand information about the industry there and asked them these questions:

1) How important is the export business for manufacturers of DIY and garden products in your country at present and in the future?

2) How did the DIY and home improvement market in your country develop in the first half of 2023?

3) Which segments are most affected by inflation? And how do consumers, retailers and manufacturers react?

4) Is your government planning new legislation affecting the home improvement sector, for example regarding energy savings, sustainable production processes, subsidies in housing construction or similar?

5) What are traders and manufacturers discussing most intensively at the moment?

Spain

2) The first half of the year was irregular, as has been usual lately, although the overall balance was positive. January and February saw an increase in sales, while March was slightly worse than 2022. In April, however, the trade was again able to increase its sales compared to the previous year, not least due to the good weather in Spain until the first days of May, which boosted sales of garden products. In recent weeks, on the other hand, there has been more of a stable downward trend. However, there are differences between the DIY stores and the industry suppliers. The latter have generally seen stronger growth.

As for the forecasts until the end of the year, in a survey conducted by C de Comunicación among retailers (cooperatives, buying groups, hardware stores, DIY stores), 42 per cent said they will maintain the sales figures of 2022 and 33 per cent believe they will increase. Only 25 per cent spoke of a decrease in sales compared to 2022.

3) A little over a year ago we did another survey on inflation (this year prices have moderated). The product families with the highest price increases were, in this order: adhesives, silicones and foams (far ahead of all other products), locks, screws and bolts, paints.

Producers have been forced to increase their prices due to increases in the prices of raw materials and transport (particularly significant in 2021 and 2022) as well as energy. In 2021 and 2022, they passed these cost increases on to the product prices. Distribution also had to pass on these increases to the final price. Profit margins have…