Ways out of the crisis

The DIY retail trade’s prospects for 2008 have darkened considerably as a result of the credit crisis. Though spending in the DIY sector within the EU still grew by 2.6 per cent in 2007, the market researchers at Verdict can see hard times coming for the sector. In their latest survey, “European DIY Retailing 2008”, the market researchers advise DIY retailers to adapt their strategy to their customers’ changing patterns of behaviour, to be high selective with international expansion plans and to put on hold non-essential investments such as store renewal programmes.