The outlook for the DIY market is tough. We think that the recent strength in the sector – spending rose by 10% in 2014 to £14.2 billion and should grow by another 7.5% in 2015 – is catch-up spending after the recession. In the longer term the combined impact of an ageing population and the trend towards living in inner cities, often in rented accommodation, will hit DIY demand and push some of it towards tradesmen, who are more likely to use builders’ merchants.
These demographic changes will in turn lead to structural changes for DIY retailing. The long term, slow decline of the superstores will continue as consumers find that their more limited requirements for DIY goods can be satisfied by high street based retailers, whether specialists like Robert Dyas, or generalists like Wilko.
Areas covered in this report
This report is designed to give an overview of the UK DIY/home improvements market. This includes an overview of the market include forecasts for future developments, in depth consumer analysis using our own data and a look at the key players in the market in the form of our company profiles.
We provide two DIY market sizes within this report:
The first is provided in the Sector Size and Forecast section and covers the specialist DIY/hardware store market, including a five-year forecast.
The second is covered in the Consumer Spending on DIY Products section which covers total consumer spending on DIY products. This market size includes elements of spending on materials, furniture, furnishings and carpets, appliances, tools and equipment and gardening products.
For our consumer research this year we asked questions surrounding the following areas:
Which retailer consumers have purchased DIY/ home improvement products from in the past 12 months, either in-store or online.
How satisfied consumers are overall with their experience of retailers and how satisfied they are surrounding a number of distinct factors.
Which types of DIY products consumers have bought in the last 12 months.
Which types of DIY/home improvements consumers expect to do to their home in the next 12 months and who they expect to do them.
A series of attitudinal statements relating to DIY/home improvements and DIY/home improvement retailers.
