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© 2024 Datateam Business Media Ltd. DIY Week incorporates Decor Retailing, DIY Retail Leaders, DIY Superstore, Do-It-Yourself Retailing, Domestic Electrical Appliances, Excellence In Garden Retailing, Excellence In Woodcare Retailing, Excellence In Timber Retailing, Excellence In Tile Retailing, Garden Retail Leaders, Garden Retailing, Hardware Merchandiser, Hardware Trade Journal, Homecentre, Home Storage Retailing, The Ironmonger, Ironmongery & Hardware, Lighting, Martineau & Smith’s Monthly Circular, Mercantile Guardian, Superstore Management, Tools Retailing, and Wholesale Leaders. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publishers. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material published in DIY Week. However, Datateam Business Media Ltd will not be liable for any inaccuracies. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers. DIY Week is registered at Stationers’ Hall. ISSN 0954-8823. DIY Week is printed on environmentally friendly paper; both text paper and cover stock are elementary chlorine free and sourced from paper suppliers with a well planned environmental policy. This issue of DIY Week includes some editorial photographs provided and paid for by suppliers. Printed by Buxton Press.


Founded in 1874 No 5,924 - May 2024


Decisions, decisions!


So the general election has finally been called and we now have to wait and see what the country decides this summer. All parties claim to be pro business and are promising to make changes to improve the economy. The retail trade relies heavily on consumer confidence, so whatever the result, let’s hope it’s the right one that provides some stability but also the kick-start to the economy we’ve needed for a long time. When it comes to voting, our esteemed panel of DIY Week Awards judges had a lot of choices to make recently and their decisions were revealed earlier this month at a glittering prize giving ceremony in London. There were some great products in the supplier shortlist


this year and all the highly recommended entries and winners were truly deserved. The awards event was well attended by the great and the good of the DIY, home improvement and garden industry and all enjoyed a sumptuous lunch, great entertainment and a wonderfully convivial atmosphere. You can read what products and which companies picked up awards in the news on page 4 of this issue, and there’s full list of winners available on both the DIY Week and DIY Week Awards websites. Next month we’ll be publishing our annual awards special supplement that will contain a lot more information about each of this year’s winners. In my opening speech at the awards I announced the launch of a brand new event scheduled to take place in October next year. We are excited to be extending the DIY Week brand and launching a new trade show called DIY Week Live, which aims to bring key industry suppliers and top retail buyers together. We’ll be publishing more details about this bold new venture over the next few months, so watch this space.


In This Issue... Neil Mead, Editorial Director


P4 / NEWS


The latest headlines and breaking news from across the home improvement and garden sectors


P10 / INTERIOR DESIGN


Half of all customers now engage in online browsing before making in-store purchases for DIY projects


Datateam Business Media Ltd, 15a London Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8LY


Tel: 01622 687031 www.datateam.co.uk


Published by P20 / LIGHTING & ELECTRICAL


The global energy transition to a cleaner, greener future is one of the most complex challenges of the 21st century


P25 / HOME OFFICE


Workspace booking platform Workabout looks into the remote work setups of your favourite fictional characters


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