INDUSTRY COMMENT: YEAR IN REVIEW


IN 2025 WE’VE KEPT CALM AND CARRIED ON!


Dean Cox


Managing Director, Red Gorilla


We all know it’s a buyer’s job to reflect the negative to a salesperson, in order to get the best possible deal for their business, but our business has been up across the board, and we’ve needed to push back on that negativity and explain how everyone always needs a decent bucket.


Simple but true. It doesn’t matter what the economy is doing (and none of us are thrilled with that), people always need the basics. With our population growing and housebuilding set to continue apace, everyone from the housebuilders to the houseowners needs brooms, buckets, shovels, bins and tubs. Independent retailers that


recognise the value in a brand and how it differentiates them from ‘own/none brand multiples’ have made really good sales and margins (on those sales) throughout the year.


We’ve invested more money in our team at Red Gorilla, not only to service the existing business but to add new business. Several colleagues have completed diplomas and degrees in various upskilling directly related to growing Red Gorilla as a business, as well as giving them a fantastic feeling of achievement.


In 2026 we plan to leverage the investment of 2025 with more new people, new products, and increased sales so that our growth as a brand can continue; but first, we are all looking forward to the Christmas holidays.


NGE AND SIGNIFICANT SHIFTS


domestic and international customers. Alongside this, AI has moved rapidly from theory into day-to-day application. DIY suppliers are increasingly using AI to improve demand forecasting, optimise ranges, enhance product content, and drive operational efficiency. These opportunities, however, have come with growing complexity. Legislation and regulation have continued to expand, particularly around product safety, sustainability, and packaging, adding cost and compliance pressure across the supply chain. In this climate, the role of trade associations has become even more critical. BHETA continues to support DIY suppliers with practical insight and collective expertise, including our Marketplace Day in January, which focuses


www.diyweek.net


on how to trade effectively and profitably across major platforms, and our expanding programme of AI webinars and training designed to help members adopt new technology with confidence. Looking ahead to 2026, the biggest challenge remains subdued economic growth in the UK and globally, compounded by trade disruption and tariffs. The biggest opportunity is a predicted return to UK retail volume growth in 2026 – the first in four years. For DIY businesses that adapt quickly, invest wisely, and make use of industry support, there are clear reasons for cautious optimism. Given the number of issues and opportunities, it is not surprising to see more and more suppliers joining to leverage BHETA’s valuable collective resources.


A STANDOUT YEAR FOR QUALITY, SERVICE AND THE INDEPENDENT TRADE


Andrew Field Managing Director, Burg-Wächter UK


I’m pleased to look back on 2025 as a year of real progress for the business. Our brand continued to grow strongly, with new placements in national retailers and more opportunities already lined up for 2026. It’s clear that consumers are becoming increasingly sceptical of the cheap, poor-quality products imported for online marketplaces, and that shift is creating space for premium brands like ours to demonstrate real value, particularly through the independent trade, where quality and trust still matter most. This year also saw us achieve our best ever trading month, something made possible by the strength of our stock availability and the


dedication of our customer service team,


whose performance reached record high satisfaction scores. Customers want reliability above all else, and we’ve worked hard to make sure we deliver it every day. Looking ahead, we’re gearing up for an exciting 2026, which will mark Burg-Wächter’s 105th year, an incredible milestone for the business.


I also want to acknowledge my


role as a trustee of the Rainy Day Trust and recognise the charity’s important work under the new leadership of Anna Skeats. Evolving from reactive to proactive support, there are many dynamic new initiatives planned, including an ambassador programme and well- being engagement opportunity. Supporting the charity’s mission – to provide a scaffold that supports the sector every step of the way as well as a safety net – remains hugely important to me and to our industry.


SUNSHINE AND SUSTAINABILITY


Kimberley Horny Managing Director, Hornby George PR


Finally, a year in which the weather played ball! Although it already feels a distant memory, 2025 delivered the


season the garden industry had been waiting for. Favourable conditions brought shoppers out in their droves, wallets open and projects firmly back on the agenda. Gardens across the country received sustained attention, and we also saw the long-anticipated easing of the Covid hangover that had slowed big-ticket purchases in recent years. This was particularly positive for garden furniture and outdoor leisure categories, which benefited from renewed consumer confidence and willingness to invest. That said, the sunshine provided a welcome distraction rather than a solution to the wider pressures still facing businesses. Rising


operational costs and the national insurance bomb to name just two examples remain very real challenges. These issues may come sharply back into focus should 2026 deliver a less agreeable trading environment, testing


resilience across the sector. It has also been a notable year for the evolution of sustainability. Long reduced to a convenient buzzword - ‘green’ - has finally begun to mature into something more meaningful. A clear shift in consumer behaviour has driven demand for genuinely sustainable solutions, with propositions becoming deeper, more nuanced and increasingly sophisticated. Rather than surface- level claims or minimum input, brands are now expected to demonstrate considered, credible approaches, a trend that looks set to define the years ahead. If 2026 can repeat even a


measure of this year’s positivity, we would say the industry is firmly on the right track.


DECEMBER 2025 DIY WEEK 17


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