Covid-19 provides clarity

The figures for 2020, year of the pandemic, are now in from a large number of countries and retail organisations. Quite apart from the unfortunate outcomes underlying the coronavirus statistics, which should not be forgotten when looking at the economic impact as we do here, last year provided a turbulent rollercoaster ride packed with uncertainty.
Drawing a conclusion from the figures reported to date on the basis of discussions and statements, however, one thing is certain: large segments of the home improvement and garden sector have fared pretty well. In many cases this is an understatement.
Here are a few examples. The German DIY retail market, the biggest in Europe, grew by 17 per cent. In France, the market was up by nearly 5 per cent, while Spain almost reached the level of the previous year initially and then saw double-digit growth in the second half of 2020. Sales at Kingfisher, Europe's number two in home improvement retailing, jumped by 22 per cent in December; Obi, the number three, was up by 12 per cent for the year as a whole; Bauhaus grew by 14 per cent, Hornbach by 21 per cent, Home Depot by 20 per cent in fiscal 2020/2021; and so it goes on.
Of course, sales are not the same as profit. Nevertheless, the fact that people across the globe have focused on their homes like never before appears to have done the sector dedicated to improving those homes a power of good.

It has been said repeatedly that Covid-19 has mercilessly exposed strengths and weaknesses in society, in sectors of the economy and in companies. This is also true of the overall DIY retail picture for 2020: it wasn't all good news. The figures for the Top 20 players in Germany, evaluated exclusively by the statistics team at Dähne Verlag, are already available to the editorial staff of DIY International. It is evident from these that some of the big names experienced growth rates in the low single figures. A failure to embrace digi­talisation, resulting in a poor position in the online market, is probably one reason for this.
Apart from what the figures reveal, coronavirus has also laid bare failings that are more concerned with morality (and yes, principles are noticed, even in the world of business). How else can we describe the following…