€ 254 bn on home improvement

European consumers spent € 245 bn on home improvement projects in the first six months of this year, a figure that includes the cost of tradesmen in addition to the materials. The countries covered in the European Home Improvement Monitor compiled by USP Marketing are Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Volume sales in the second quarter amount to 27 per cent more than the expenditure recorded in the first three months. The increase can be explained by the outdoor projects that accounted for spending of € 31 bn; the figure from January to March was just € 14 bn. The survey offers no hope of growth for the second half of the year: the respondents indicated that they would spend four per cent less in this area on average.