Not only DIY stores

A store tour with six buses, more than 300 participants and stop-off points in Barcelona's city centre - could that go well? It went well - of course. The buses which headed for the five destinations in and around the Catalan metropolis on the eve of the 6th Global DIY Summit took different routes, so that only one group at a time was at each of the stores.

The most inspiring, because least typically DIY, was certainly the specialist trade store Servei Estació, right in the centre of the city and in the immediate vicinity of one of the Gaudí houses in Barcelona. This traditional store presents itself as being similarly curious, having opened in 1930 and then being completely transformed in 2003. 60 000 articles are offered over 3 500 m², which cover nine (!) floors. The product range covers everything from dispersion paint and power tools to artists' supplies and craft articles, right up to automotive items and wood.

A look into the future of retail was provided by Media Markt's Digital Store, the number 1 retail chain for consumer electronics from Germany which opened in 2016. The store in the city centre, the first experimental digital store of this chain, is a showroom. The 800 m² of retail space are surrounded by touch screens; not many goods are displayed but lots of sales assistants are at hand. A glass pane enables customers to look into the warehouse; delivery takes place within between two and 48 hours.

Also in the inner-city area is the store from the German operator Bauhaus which opened in 2011. The 10 000 m² of retail space are spread over three floors. The top floor includes an open air section. Garden building materials and garden decoration are offered here. But the garden department also has a decent offer of ride-on mowers. In the middle of the city? Yes, people buy here for their holiday homes in the country. However hardly any plants at all are offered. Another feature is the nautical shop - after all, Barcelona is a port city.

In the affluent suburb area of the city there is one of the 20 Bricomart stores. This format (which is called Bricoman in France, Italy and Poland) from the French Groupe Adeo is primarily targeted at professional customers. That's why they completely focus on industrial…