EVENT REPORT: INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR


Batavia’s movable telescopic scaffold is really easy to manoeuvre and erect


Above: Oliver Ginestier Director of Communications EDRA-GHIN, Clive Daley, Kerry Daley, Rainer Strnad, and Claudia Maurer Director Spoga-Gafa


There was lots of excitement around the WTF/Quickloader stand


Above: Clive Daley, Mark Lane – MD Keter and Ben Warcup MD Rug Doctor


Left: Clive and Reinhard Wolf – Wolfcraft


Above: It was great to spend some more time with the EA (European Aerosols) team since we visited their production facilities in Amsterdam


It’s all about product and features of product and not about what is right for the retailer, distributer or agent. We often have to tease this information out of the people on the stand and a lot of the time they have to ask their colleagues for help. It’s important at a trade show to “talk to your customer” not the end user. Of course, the end user is important but it is not the information which will get you on the shelf at the retailer.


Matt Sheen, CEO Draper Tools Ltd


The show was said to be focused on sustainability and recycling solutions. We feel this was not shouted about enough. Exhibitors did not talk about it or appear to advertise it well. Sustainability did not “smack us in the face as we walked round”. The show and exhibitors still handed out paper catalogues/show maps/business cards and we still had lanyards and paper tickets rounds our necks. This could all quite easily go digital as the app worked really well. The food was pretty good, not very many vegan or vegetarian options though, especially where coffee was concerned, we did not find any oat or soya milk it was non-existent. So again thinking from a global sustainability focus, the meat and dairy industry is hugely bad for the planet and there were hardly any alternatives on offer for the 33,000 people attending. That’s


www.diyweek.net


a lot of meat and dairy! There were, however, no plastic bottles all drinks were in glass bottles, we are told this is a country-wide initiative rather than a Eisenwarenmesse initiative.


Innovations that stood out to us were…


Batavia’s movable telescopic scaffold (expertly showcased by our very own Kerry Daley) really easy to manoeuvre and erect. Will fit perfectly in any size of vehicle and is a super sturdy structure for any DIY or professional project. We also absolutely love their Maxxlick storage system which actually works seamlessly with multiple battery platforms (https://bataviastore.com/pages/ maxxclick-collection). Alberts due and Trio Connectors was an amazing innovation and had been nominated for the EisenAward 2026. It’s not just a piece of metal with holes in it but the material is flexible and can be bent into any angle required. Such an amazing piece of innovation. We also loved their Mounting Cube – “One Cube A Thousand Ideas” Draper – we absolutely love the


green Bunker portable storage range with lockable drawers; they


are interlock able and they are easy to manoeuvre. This product really has the tradesman in mind, everything you need all in one easy solution. No need to keep going in an out of your van, just load up the lot and take it with you, priceless!


Looking ahead


The next International Hardware Fair 7-10 March 2028 and once again will be Tuesday to Friday. You can register your interest now at https://www.eisenwarenmesse. com We are very much looking forward to Canton Fair week which takes place in April, the DIY Week Awards in London on 22nd May, where Nils Kernchen will be providing a talk on Marketplaces in Europe and Clive and Kerry will be hosting the Trade Talks in the morning. In June, you will see us at the Global DIY Summit in Amsterdam, Spoga Gafa in Cologne and the Painting & Decorating show at the NEC in Birmingham. In September we’ll be back at Glee again in Birmingham and we cannot miss Screwfix Live in Farnborough and then DIY Week live in October at the NCC in Birmingham. So many shows and not enough time!


So, if you can attend any of these events, walk the halls with an open mind, don’t just hunt for what is on your list, hunt for the unexpected. We guarantee you will not be disappointed.


APRIL 2026 DIY WEEK 31


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