Increasing number of DIY stores

The year 2005 was a great one for the Italian DIY retailers, who completed it with around 40 new outlets, following 23 new openings in the first six…

Expansion for Mestre Maco

Portugal's number two is pursuing ambitious expansionary goals, and not only in its home country: a first store is to be launched in Spain in 2006

Growth opportunities for DIY stores

Giulia ArrigoniDIY in Europe, ItalyEditor-in-chief, Brico Magazine It is only recently that the first survey of the Italian DIY retail trade was…

Testing time for new marketing formats

Home Depot, the world’s biggest DIY retailer, has developed two new concept stores, Villager’s Hardware and The Home Depot Floor …

Opening up new sales potential

Although economic growth in the USA is slowing, the oper-ators of DIY superstores will increase sales partly by expanding their ranges in the …

Green light for large-format stores in Austria

The shopping centre ordinance was rescinded by the Austrian constitutional court with effect from 1 July. This ordinance, initiated …

Opportunity for Turkish hardware retailers

The newly developed franchise system known as Vidahaustore offers Turkish hardware retailers a competitive concept and provides them with…

Independent and effective

Punto Brico, the Italian buying cooperative, backs entrepreneurial freedom for its members together with regionally differentiated product mixes

Anniversary for EK Großeinkauf

The Bielefeld-based cooperative is making company history. Founded in 1925, this year the self-styled “leading voluntary group in the German hardware…

Another potential takeover candidate

The DIY retail market is in a state of flux. Focus Do It All has taken over Wickes and now the Sainsbury supermarket group wants to sell its …

Focus Do It All buys Wickes

After a tough struggle that went on for months Focus Do It All, the third largest DIY superstore group in the UK, finally succeeded in buying Wickes …

Major question marks

Obi: 2004/2005 figures

The German market leader Obi operates DIY stores in nine European countries. Its 13 outlets in China have now been sold to Kingfisher

Growth for the paint markets

In Central and Eastern Europe paint demand will grow by 7.4 per cent a year over the next five years