The essential news source for the home improvement industry 8 SEPTEMBER 2017


What next for my retail business? Dani Saveker on sucession planning


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INSIDE THIS WEEK NEWS EXTRA


bira goes to Downing Street to discuss business rates p12


MARKET REPORT Insulation accounts for over 25% of retrofit installations p19


AUTUMN/WINTER How retailers can maximise sales to meet seasonal demand from customers


WWW.DIYWEEK.NET


John Lewis expands professional trade service trial


John Lewis will expand a trial of a new home improvement and maintenance service across Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Taunton from September 12. The initiative, called ‘Home Solutions from John Lewis’, which has already been trialled in Milton Keynes, enables customers to book decorators, gardeners, plumbers and electricians online who have been selected and approved by the retailer.


Customers can request a fully qualified, professional tradesperson via the Home


Solutions app, website, or customer call centre.


After selecting the job that needs doing, customers will be shown a variety of time slots when the work can be performed. Having chosen a suitable time, customers are then matched with an available trade professional who can be booked and paid for via the Home Solutions app or website. In keeping with the company’s customer service standards, customers will be given a one- year guarantee on the work. Group development director at the John Lewis Partnership,


Tom Athron, said: “As a trusted retailer of home products our customers often ask us if we can help them with jobs that need doing in their homes. “We are delighted to be expanding our trial and have taken a lot of care to find professionals who will deliver service to the standard that people expect from John Lewis. “We know how difficult it can be to find the time in our busy lives to source trusted trade professionals and hope our customers will find the new service helpful.”


The local trade professionals


taking part in the initiative have all undergone a rigorous recruitment process, which includes interviews, background


checks, viewing of previous work, in addition to an induction to John Lewis customer service standards.


UK discount retail market set to boom Ideabright continues trading


The UK discount retail market will grow by 36.1%, reaching a total value of £32.5bn by 2022, according to GlobalData; DIY, gardening and homewares sectors are set to gain market share from mainstream retailers. The company’s latest report: UK Discounters 2017-2022 reveals that discount retailers could gain an extra £9bn slice of the total retail market as


they become a more appealing destination for consumers looking for bargains as inflation continues to squeeze their disposable income. According to the report, DIY,


gardening and homewares are forecast to grow 46.6% and 42.6% respectively for the period 2017-2022 as discount retailers gain market share from mainstream DIY retailers by offering consumers lower


cost solutions for household maintenance and upgrades. It said consumers are likely to perform fewer and smaller upgrades on their homes during the forecast period due to declining disposable income. This will benefit discount


retailers’ homewares sales as they continue to improve their shopper appeal by increasing their range and incorporating greater trend influences.


A spokesperson for Ideabright confirmed to DIY Week that the administrators of Ideabright Ltd will continue trading with the view to secure a sale of the business as a going concern. The hardware retailer and


parent company of Dibranto, Posh Rosh and Clean Up brands had appointed administrators, Matthew Ingram and Allan Graham,


managing directors at Duff & Phelps, in early August after struggling with “very tough trading”. DIY Week reported in the last issue that a spokesperson said the largest of the Ideabright shops, which trades under the Dibranto name, and the nearby Clean Up shop in Fulham would cease trading by September 9. However, it is said they will remain trading.


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For more information, contact your Draper representative or call our Sales Hotline on: 023 8049 4333 or visit drapertools.com/become-stockist


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