Further growth

The latest survey from Unibal, the French manufacturers’ association, reveals that the French DIY market grew by 3.9 per cent to € 21.5 bn in 2007. The DIY superstores count among the winners, with sales recording an increase of 4.5 per cent to € 15 bn. The builders’ merchant segment achieved an even higher rate of growth, with retail sales up by 5 per cent to € 4.39 bn. The traditional retailers (hardware shops and chemists’) managed to maintain their turnover at the previous year’s level of € 800 mio. On the losing side is the grocery trade, with a turnover 3 per cent down to € 1.31 bn.