UK consumption in the doldrums

The year 2008 was extremely disappointing for the DIY retail sector in the United Kingdom. The sales of DIY stores with a minimum covered sales area of 1 000 m² were down by 20.4 per cent to € 9.5 bn. The loss came to 7.6 per cent at constant exchange rates. This information comes from an international DIY report that follows the system used for the BHB/GfK reports. It reveals that no product category managed to avoid being affected by the general consumer restraint. Last year saw every British citizen spend € 156 in DIY stores on average, or € 42 less than in 2007.