The DIY retailing market is one of the largest and most diverse in the entire economy. To adequately describe it requires twice as much work as a normal Mintel report, so don’t expect to read it all in one sitting! Inside, you’ll find:

● A breakdown of how a market far in excess of $100 billion can have expanded faster than the overall economy in the past five years, and how it is expected it to do so in the next five years.

● A detailed explanation of the contribution and changes occurring in seven different retail channels, including home centers/lumberyards (which account for two thirds of the total market), lawn and garden stores, department stores/mass merchandisers, floor covering stores, hardware stores, other general merchandise stores, and wall covering/paint stores.

● How leading retailers operate, including market share, store expansion tactics, pricing strategies, expansion in the professional building supply business, and exactly what each retailer and channel does to attract DIYers.

● A description of advertising practices across several media types by the leading retailers. These companies collectively spend several billion promotional dollars a year in an effort to seamlessly insert their brands into your everyday life.

● Extensive consumer research that profiles the average DIYer, projects undertaken, how often, through which retailers, amount spent, and the decision making process that affects all of these choices. A possible secret to future sales growth: 54% of Mintel’s respondents say that they have a favorite store for home improvement/hardware/DIY supplies, while fully 61% say that if they could afford it, they would “much rather” have a professional do home improvement projects for them.