Agnès RichardDIY in Europe, FranceEditor-in-chief, Univers HebdoWill 2006 be the year when the French are won over to do-it-yourself? That is open to question. DIY retail sales grew in the order of one per cent in the …
Castorama success story in Italy
Over the past four years, Castorama has enabled Kingfisher to double the group’s sales in Italy. This year will see the opening of the first …
Foreign to the trade, or a foreign trade?
Bert Hoogeland, DIY in Europe, Netherlands, Managing editor of MixSuppliers of branded goods don’t have it easy. Here in the Dutch …
Compare your performance with that of top-flight retailers
Are you content just to be profitable, or would you like to improve your performance and profitability?
Austrian window market is recovering
Since the Austrian window market hit rock-bottom in 2002, it has shown positive growth for the third year in a row. The introduction of the …
International members ensure sales increase
The 3e Group concluded its latest financial year with a sales figure up by around 2.5 per cent to € 488 mio
Shopping centre boom in eastern Europe
A current study by the IfG (Institut für Gewerbezentren) of Starnberg, Germany, reveals that the development of shopping centres in the Czech…
Battle for survival
A new development is becoming apparent in the US home improvement market: the big are getting bigger and the smarter small ones are surviving
Bricorama under pricing barrage
The French DIY retailer has not been able to escape the current tendency towards low prices. It is now demanding higher discounts from suppliers, …
Radical changes at Home Depot
Home Depot has undergone enormous changes since Bob Nardelli became CEO. He took over the leadership in 2000, after a successful career with General …
Slicing up the market
Bob Vereen, DIY in Europe, USAFor decades there have been predictions in the USA of the demise of independent dealers in the hardware and DIY industry, yet …
German window market: Renovations creating growth
After almost halving in the past five years, the German window market can finally see a glimmer of hope on the horizon, according …
Growth for Europe's markets
In all eleven of the countries investigated by Observateur Cetelem, the DIY markets experienced growth in 2005
Growth for German DIY retailers only abroad
The sales of Obi, Praktiker and Co. are continuing to grow, though not primarily in Germany but beyond its borders. Altogether the …
German DIY retailers in 2005: ranking by sales
The 20 largest German DIY retailers achieved gross sales totalling € 24.4 bn in 2005