NEWS


DIY Week Awards 2025 winners announced!


Designed to celebrate excellence and innovation, across the DIY, home improvement and garden sectors, the 2025 DIY Week Awards ceremony took place on Friday 23rd May at the prestigious Grand Connaught Rooms, London, allowing the industry’s very best to network and celebrate amongst their peers. So, after months of anticipation, the winners of the DIY Week Awards 2025 have been announced, as follows: Decorating Product of the Year: AkzoNobel – Dulux One Coat Satinwood Garden Tool of the Year: Avron – Dekton Precision Pruner


DIY Products of the Year: Avron – Dekton 7.5m Smart Screen Tape Measure & QEP – Tile Rite 4-in-1 Multi Spacers x 100 pieces Hand Tool of the Year: Avron – Dekton 13-in-1 Adjustable Stubby Screwdriver Garden Care Product of the Year: A.Perry – SleeperSecure Steel Sleeper Brackets Power Tool of the Year: Avron – Goodyear Cordless Digital Tyre Inflator Garden Leisure Product of the Year: DK Tools – Amtech Foldable Camping Shovel and Pickaxe


Security Product of the Year: Avron – Dekton 4 Digit Combination Key Safe


TradeKart and Leyland partner to provide customers rapid delivery


TradeKart, the rapid delivery app-based marketplace for tradespeople, has announced its partnership with Leyland. Through this collaboration, customers across London will be able to access rapid delivery of the extensive Leyland range of thousands of products, thanks to TradeKart. “We’re excited to partner with Leyland,” said Alistair McAuley, CEO and founder of TradeKart. “Leyland is a trusted name in the decorating industry, and


this partnership allows us to bring their wide range of high- quality products directly to tradespeople, precisely when and where they need them. This collaboration further strengthens our commitment to providing tradespeople across the UK with an unparalleled range of products and services, delivered rapidly to keep their projects on track.” Leyland has 35 stores


across London, stocking a comprehensive range of products across all departments, including paint and decorating essentials, tools, hardware, building materials, electrical fittings and plumbing equipment. Brands stocked include: Dulux, Johnstone’s, Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Tesa, CT1, Bosch, Purdy, Stanley, Ronseal and DeWalt.


Jewson unveils Luton redevelopment


Jewson - part of STARK Building Materials UK - has shared a first look at the £4.3m transformational redevelopment work, including a 51,800ft² shop floor which is set to supply the largest range of products in the UK with 6,500 SKUs available for immediate collection.


Set to open this summer, the branch brings together a huge range of services, creating a one-stop-shop with all the materials, tools, services and space that customers require to work as efficiently as possible. The branch will feature a


comprehensive suite of new services including a cement plant, timber cutting station,


4 DIY WEEK MAY 2025


large landscaping display, tool hire and repair centres, a kitchen and bathroom showroom, paint mixing facility, and even an extended workwear range complete with fitting room. Additionally, customers will benefit from two drive-in entrances to source undercover timber, five pods for hosting meetings with clients, electric vehicle chargers, out-of-hours collection lockers, food and drink facilities, and much more. For environmentally conscious customers, the new Luton branch will also be home to Jewson’s first-ever Sustainability House – a full-scale mock home showcasing cutting-edge materials from the Building for


the Future range. Complete with Velux roof windows and a glass mezzanine floor, it will serve as a hands-on learning space, guided by an on-site specialist to help customers build in line with the latest regulations and environmental standards. Andrew Collinson, Jewson


Luton’s new branch director, said: “The work being undertaken here at Luton will redefine the capabilities of builders’ merchants in the UK. The branch will act as a hub for construction and building projects in the South East.”


Home & Kitchen Product of the Year: Avron – Dekton Professional Funnel Nose Plunger


Retailer Support & Marketing Initiative Award: Home Hardware Southwest


Sustainability Initiative of the Year: Palace Chemicals Digital Innovation Award: TradeKart


Lifetime Achievement Award: Jeff Moody, Bira Editor’s Choice: Evolution Power Tools


Retailer of the Year: Daymans DIY


Omnichannel Retail Strategy of the Year: B&Q Wholesalers of the Year: ABM Distributors & Stax Trade Centres


Point of Sale Display of the Year: Avron Team of the Year: Pelsis Thanks go to this year’s


Awards sponsors: AkzoNobel, Avron/Dekton, Benchmark Retail Services, BHETA, Bira, Daley Hub and Home Hardware. We’d also like to thank everyone who attended the DIY Week Awards and congratulate the finalists, winners and highly commended, who should all


be incredibly proud of their achievements. We hope to see you all back for 2026! We’ll be publishing a full


report from the event in a special supplement with the July issue of DIY Week. In the meantime, for a complete list of winners, highly commended, gallery of photos from the event, and more information, please visit the Awards website at: https:// diyweekawards.co.uk


DIY projects hold strong as consumers look to improve instead of move in 2025


The UK’s DIY sector is set for a busy year as millions of consumers prepare to roll up their sleeves and tackle home improvement projects themselves. New research reveals that over half of UK consumers plan to invest in home and garden improvements in the next 12 months. Among them, a growing number are choosing the do-it-yourself route, with 17% planning to take on DIY home projects and a further 17% planning DIY garden projects. With ongoing cost-of- living pressures and uncertainty in the housing market causing one in five to say moving is financially unfeasible, consumers are instead turning to DIY as a


practical, money-saving strategy to enhance their living spaces. Decorating remains the most popular planned improvement, with 31% of people saying they intend to decorate at least one room. While this is a drop from 41% in 2023, the DIY market continues to see steady demand as many consumers take on these tasks themselves. When it comes to the garden, there


BHETA’s inspirational face-to-face


‘Independent’s Day’


BHETA recently held a live and in-person forum, spotlighting the opportunities and needs for retailers, suppliers, and wholesalers in the independent sector. Suppliers, wholesalers, and distributors across the DIY, garden, and housewares sectors outlined how best they could collaborate to drive their business models. The popular event explored the mutual support requirements with speakers throughout the supply chain. There was also an overview from the Bank of England on the


current market dynamics vis-à- vis domestic legislation impact, consumer confidence paradigms and the potential threat of US tariffs. Attendees also benefitted from invaluable networking, fostering connections with peers across the industry. BHETA’s Will Jones commented: “Since Covid, many UK suppliers have cut their investment in the independent sector. My key takeaway from the very insightful presentations is that it is time for suppliers to take another look at the sector.”


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is increasing interest in hard landscaping, outdoor seating and practical enhancements to extend living space into the outdoors. Affordability remains the top driver behind home improvement decisions, according to the research, which was carried out by construction PR agency Unhooked Communications as part of the Homes Unhooked 2025-2026 report. Consumers are primarily motivated by cost and value, followed by quality and longevity, and then style and appearance. Emotional and practical factors are closely linked to these choices, with people aiming to enhance their comfort and wellbeing, optimise space, and update the look and feel of their homes.


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