RETAIL TALES: PAYLESS DIY


Left: In a store somewhere on the road to Christmas in a distant universe! Back from left to right - Doug Spickernell, Ted Lansdowne, Alan harper. Middle kneeling - Robert Bowden, John Hood (Financial Manager), and Mike Nicholson. Lying down at the front - Roger Napleton (IT Manager).


because competition was growing so quickly,” Spickernell says. Price wars became commonplace


across high-volume products such as paint, compost and timber. Despite this increasingly crowded market, Payless DIY continued to perform strongly. Spickernell believes the business succeeded because it stayed lean, flexible and operationally focused. “We weren’t over-managed and we weren’t overloaded with costs,” he says.


The Boots takeover Ironically, Payless DIY’s strong performance ultimately made it vulnerable. In the late 1980s, Boots launched an aggressive takeover, eventually merging Payless DIY into Do It All in partnership with WH Smith. “We had no warning,” Spickernell says. “We suddenly realised somebody was buying our shares.”


Despite efforts to resist, the takeover succeeded. Boots believed it could streamline the business and improve profitability. Spickernell strongly disputes that assessment. “They completely misunderstood the business,” he says. “Our margins were already among the best in the industry.” The Payless DIY


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“In the late 1980s, Boots launched an aggressive takeover, eventually merging Payless DIY into Do It All in partnership with WH Smith.”


disappeared, the head office closed and many stores were sold or converted.


“In the end the whole thing collapsed,” he says. “It was a waste of a terrific company and a lot of very good people.”


brand


Starting again with Green DIY Rather than leaving the sector, Spickernell and fellow director Ted Lansdowne decided to start over. The pair met in a pub after losing their jobs and agreed there was only one business they truly understood. “We said: we can’t sell second- hand cars, but we do know DIY.” That conversation eventually led to the creation of Green DIY in Uckfield, East Sussex, which opened in 1991. The business focused heavily on customer service and reducing packaging by selling loose items wherever possible. “We believed customer service


was absolutely key,” Spickernell says. “It still is.”


The independent retailer developed a loyal following and successfully traded for many years before being sold in 2014.


Lessons for today’s retailers Although the DIY market has changed dramatically, Spickernell believes opportunities still exist for independent retailers, particularly outside major city locations and oversized retail parks. “There are still plenty of towns that won’t support a huge DIY warehouse,” he says.


He advises independents to understand local demographics carefully, monitor housing development and focus relentlessly on service.


“The company that truly delivers customer service will survive, more than survive.”


He also believes retailers should avoid trying to compete head- on with larger chains wherever possible.


“Secondary locations can still work very well if you understand your market.” Perhaps most importantly, he


argues that leadership and culture remain central to success. “In Payless DIY the directors worked relentlessly,” he says.


“And the staff responded to that commitment very positively.”


Looking back


Despite the eventual disappearance of the brand, Spickernell remains deeply proud of what Payless DIY achieved.


“It wasn’t just me,” he says. “We had a great team.” He particularly remembers the dedication of the store development staff who opened branches under intense pressure and tight deadlines. “They never failed,” he says. Today, his focus has shifted away


from retail and towards Babons Cancer Support, a charity he runs with his daughters following the death of his wife. Yet many of the values that shaped his retail career remain unchanged.


“Service matters,” he says simply. “Whether you’re helping customers in retail or helping people through illness, giving proper service is what matters most.”


Thanks to Doug Spickernell for the candid recount of his career in the DIY retail trade and for bringing us to speed with what happened to the Payless DIY Brand. A longer full length version of this article with more details and quotes will be published on the DIY Week website soon, so please visit www.diyweek.net.


MAY 2026 DIY WEEK 27


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