Growth of retail space in France

France has seen the amount of DIY retail space more than double over the last 15 years. Retail area grew by 112 per cent between 1987 and 2002, whereas the number of stores increased by no more than 45 per cent. This emerges from a study undertaken by the UNIBAL manufacturers’ association. Responsibility for the development that has resulted in average floorspace now amounting to 2 181 m² per store goes to the group of stores over 7 500 m² in size, whose number has increased more than fivefold (5.48 times over, to be exact). For the year 2002 the study indicates a 5.5 per cent increase in total retail area over 2001. Our specialist magazine DIY in Europe will be reporting in detail on this development in a country report and its statistical supplement.