Innovation, please!

A number of the delegates attending the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum at ­Disneyland near Paris found it clever to express more criticism than is usual at such events, both during and after the conference. Even representatives of the industry who did not actually attend the forum felt they had a right to cause bad blood through strong words in the aftermath. Leaving aside the fact that the organisers from FEDIYMA and EDRA were observant enough to recognise any mistakes and honest enough to address them openly – such criticism clouds the view of the tangible benefits that every participant can extract from such an event. Why, until two years ago the industry simply had no common platform where ideas could be exchanged and attitudes determined on this level. Part of this process involves the defining of opposing positions. While the official representatives of the two associations, the presidential duo of Régis Degelcke and Reinhard Wolff, plus managers John Herbert and Ralf Rahmede, demonstrated unity as joint presenters of the programme and stressed the partnership aspect of the arrangement – with absolute credibility, it must be said – matters came to the crunch quite publicly in some of the talks. For instance Véronique Laury, commercial director of B&Q, not only provoked the delegates on the supply side with her remark that industry’s last innovation was the invention of the cordless drill in 1961 but also demonstrated to all those in the hall the old familiar pattern of behaviour in the so-called partnership between industry and commerce: the willingness to point a finger at the other side. Yet this provocation could just as well be reversed. What exactly are the innovations brought about by the retail side since it took up the idea of self-service at around that same date and made it into the dominant form of distribution? The credit card perhaps? That idea didn’t come from its ranks. The drive-in? They are appearing ever more frequently, but by no means have what it takes to revolutionise the whole scene. The shopping experience? That makes you think back to the virtues of the old speciality dealers. At the congress the many attempts to address the topic of innovative store types seemed correspondingly feeble. Praised as worthy of imitation were hip fashion chains, allegedly happy under-age sellers of drinks in India and a Hermès shop, which got two mentions. A model for DIY stores? More relevant ideas are needed here – which is something…