Renovators in Poland, decorators in France

Poland is the country with Europe’s greatest proportion of DIYers (29 per cent) willing to undertake demanding renovation projects themselves. They are followed by Belgium (25 per cent), Austria, Switzerland and Germany (24 per cent each) and France (22 per cent). That is one of the findings of the European Home Improvement Monitor. This survey, by USP Marketing Consultancy of Rotterdam, is based on interviews with 12 000 consumers in 13 countries and updated monthly. It divides the consumers into four groups according to their DIY skills: renovators, consumers able to carry out minor DIY jobs, decorators, and consumers with no DIY experience. The authors estimate the European refurbishment market at a volume of € 320 bn. According to the survey, Poland is also the country with the highest proportion of the last-named group (24 per cent). The average for Europe as a whole is 15 per cent. Decorators represent the biggest group in all the countries surveyed. They account for the highest proportion of 52 per cent in France and Spain, and for 49 per cent in Italy. DIYers who venture to do small jobs are found most frequently in Germany (31 per cent) and the countries of Scandinavia (30 per cent).