The essential news source for the home improvement industry OUTDOOR LIVING SPECIAL
21 JULY 2017 Key opportunities in the category p13-21
INSIDE THIS WEEK
BUNNINGS NEWS EXTRA
A look at Bunnings’ MK store and its UK strategy
OUTDOOR TRENDS Highlights from the Hampton Court Flower Show
HOT SALES
Barbecuing as a year-round activity and what this means for retailers
WWW.DIYWEEK.NET National DIY Show shelved
Organisers of The National DIY Show, formerly Totally DIY & Tools, have confirmed that the 2018 exhibition is being cancelled.
Brintex, which is part of the Hemming Group, said it made the announcement “with deep regret”, adding that “the show has been a staple part of the DIY retail industry for over 23 years and helped launch many fledgling companies and personalities.” The National DIY Show was set to take place at the Ricoh Arena next June with new branding and a refreshed concept but a decision was taken to cancel the 2018 event “due to the instability of the
economic European road map”, Brintex said in a statement. “This is not to say the show
won’t be back but for 2019 but the firm decision was made by the Brintex and Hemming Group Board to put the show on hold.” However, many of the people
DIY Week spoke to have said they don’t expect the show to make a return as they believe it would be difficult to “make a comeback after this” combined with the fact that Spring Fair is now targeting the DIY sector. Some suggested that the show lost momentum once former event director Paul Grinsell was let go in 2015. Mr Grinsell, who is now home improvement sector
director at BHETA, had worked on the show for two decades and had a great understanding of the industry.
Speaking to DIY Week about the announcement Mr Grinsell said: “I am sad and disappointed at the news – particularly after investing 20-odd years of my life in the project. The industry still wants its own show and I wish Spring Fair good luck with its venture. We look forward to working with them in the future.” He continued: “I feel sorry for some of the loyal companies. The show has made businesses of them and I had some amazing feedback from firms over the years who said their company wouldn’t
be where it is today without the show.”
Some suppliers who wished
to remain anonymous, said they had lost confidence in the show recently and were disappointed when it transpired some stand space had been sold to exhibitors at a discount rate at the 2016 event. They believed the exhibition needed to take a different approach, which it seems the team were trying to do with the re-brand. However, everyone that DIY
Week spoke to agreed that the show’s departure from the industry marks the end of an era and some were very sorry to see it go.
Reacting to this, the show’s event manager said: “I think it is a huge disappointment for the industry after 23 years. “We had some really good ideas, a great new concept and I think the show could have been very good. The decision to cancel the event was taken entirely out of my control and I am very frustrated.”
Household goods stores see sales heat up in June
Compared with May 2017 the volume of retail sales increased by 0.6% with non- food stores providing the main contribution, up 1.8%. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that warmer weather boosted clothing sales for retailers, however, household goods stores saw the biggest increase across all non-food retailers, with volumes up 3.3% for the month and a 2.7% rise the amount spent by consumers. Prices also held with just a
0.3% drop in average store price. ‘Other stores’ within the non- food category which includes carpet and floorcovering retailers, reported a 1.5% increase for June with the average store price down 0.5% for the month, in line with the non-food stores category as a whole. Average weekly spending online was £1.1 billion in June; an increase of 15.9% compared with June 2016. The amount spent online accounted for 16.2% of all retail spending, excluding
automotive fuel, compared with 16.0% in May 2017
Online sales of household goods saw the smallest year- on-year growth across the non- food store categories, up 8.7%. Department stores, meanwhile, reported a 15.6% year-on-year jump in internet sales, accounting for 14% of sales as a proportion of all retailing. Across all non-food store categories, online sales growth was +12.8% in June, accounting for 12% of all retailing.
In the three months to June 2017 the volume purchased in the retail industry is estimated to have increased by 1.5%, with increases seen across all store types. The growth for Q2 (Apr to June) 2017 follows a decline of 1.4% in Quarter 1 (Jan Mar) 2017, meaning we are broadly at the same level as at the start of 2017.
Commenting on today’s
official retail figures, Office for National Statistics (ONS) senior
statistician Kate Davies said: “Today’s retail sales figures show overall growth.
“A particularly warm June seems to have prompted strong sales in clothing which has compensated for a decline in food and fuel sales for the month. Looking at the quarterly data, the underlying trend, as suggested by the three-month on three-month movement is one of growth, following a fall in quarter 1, suggesting a relatively flat first half of 2017.”
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