Partnering the industry for 20 years

Our specialist magazine DIY International, which started life as DIY in Europe, first saw the light of day in 1989. At that stage it was the first three-language trade publication for the European do-it-yourself sector. This was just the time when the DIY retailers were showing an increasingly keen interest in investment abroad, and the lack of a specialist magazine to accompany this development in the growing European DIY market was becoming evident. When the first issue of DIY in Europe finally materialised in the middle of the year, there was no way of foreseeing how turbulent things would become in Germany that autumn, and what far-reaching consequences they would have for Europe. With the fall of the Berlin wall in November 1989 came not only the beginning of the end of Germany's division, but also the breakup of the Soviet bloc. The world was never to be the same again in Europe after these events. The borders opened up eastwards, bringing with them access to new markets. Entirely new perspectives and undreamt-of opportunities for development presented themselves to the DIY industry, and to many other sectors as well. DIY in Europe accompanied and documented the development of the European DIY retailers, not only in the countries of the west but also in the east of Europe. Our annually published DIY retail statistics demonstrate how quickly and purposefully the retailers expanded in the deregulated markets of the countries of central and eastern Europe once the iron curtain had disappeared. Nowadays it is the countries of Asia and Africa that are on their growth programme. Substantial changes in the scope of the action have not only been geographic in the course of the last 20 years. The DIY stores themselves have also undergone changes: the ever-widening range of products and the discovery of women as a prime target group have resulted in floorspaces becoming bigger and the trade's investment ever greater. Competitive pressures and the degree of internationalisation are continuing to increase. The worldwide markets are becoming more and more interlinked - globalisation having reached our industry too. Much has changed, and the challenges have proliferated. DIY International would like to thank all readers and advertisers for their support. This magazine will continue to partner you in the future through the provision of up-to-date and reliable information for your decision-making in the international DIY business. Marc Dähne Managing Director Dähne…