"The BHB is a strong platform"

"For many years now, we have had more than 500 participants again – 510 are registered": Visibly pleased with the response this year, Peter Wüst, Managing Director of the German DIY store association BHB, opened the two-day 26th BHB Congress in Bonn today. More than a quarter of the participants come from the retail sector.

Peter Abraham, Head of Retail at the German cooperative Eurobaustoff, kicked off the congress day by introducing himself as the new spokesperson for the BHB Executive Board – an active diver and "someone who gets to the bottom of things and looks at what lies beneath the surface". He expressed his commitment to cooperation on an equal footing ("no games"). He explicitly referred to this in relation to the association's work. The BHB is the key platform for exchange and the link to the industry – "make the association strong, it benefits our entire industry".

Susanne Jäger, board member at Hornbach and new deputy spokesperson and financial officer of the BHB board, also expressed this view. She also emphasised how successfully the BHB works for the industry. "I believe that there are few industries that have such a strong platform," she said, referring to the association's involvement in the European association Edra, in particular to bring the industry's perspective into regulatory legislative processes at an early stage.

Futurologist Tristan Horx was the first external speaker to open the lecture section of the congress and, above all, spread confidence. He introduced himself as an "angry optimist" who wants to bring together "wisdom and rebellion". He listed a whole host of topics where things are not going so badly, such as the 50 per cent share of renewable energies. He contrasts the widespread "perspective of decline" with the "perspective of transition" and the "perspective of vision". And: in future, it will be all about relationships. "Turbo-individualisation is followed by the desire for a new 'we'."

The tree planting campaign organised by Alain Paul from Holz-Conzert has a firm place in the BHB Congress programme. "We are nibbling away at the 200,000 trees," said Paul, explaining the current status. "I think we will reach a quarter of a million by the end of 2026."