DIY in the city

The French do it, Brits and Germans do it, not to mention the Belgians, Dutch and Scandinavians do it - even the Americans and Canadians do it: and for some time now the Spanish have been doing it too. DIY retailers in practically all developed national DIY markets are doing it: developing smaller shop formats for inner-city locations. The latest example of this trend is the small Bricor chain in Spain, which is part of the El Corte Inglès department store group. It only recently presented its plans in detail at Eurobrico in Valencia. However, there are a lot of older examples. For instance, the Swiss Jumbo group brought a smaller sized trading format into being as long ago as 2003. The first Brico City opened in Belgium in 2006, and two years later came the small-format Mr. Bricolage in France. In Spain, too, there is a small-format pioneer: Bricoking has been in the marketplace with Bricoking City since 2010 and has just announced its intention to further multiply the format. So concentrating a streamlined DIY and garden range that is precisely geared to an urban target group on a small space is an idea that is anything but new, yet it seems to be increasing in relevance at the moment. It is how the DIY retailers are reacting to two different trends: firstly the large-format stores are becoming increasingly difficult to run profitably as sales per square metre tend downward. And, secondly, customers are going in a different direction than previously – they are moving into town once again. The garden market is also substantially affected by the change. “Urban gardening” is being talked up on all sides at congresses as a trend that opens up new customer groups and potential sales as well. The sit­uation is the same with renovators, another target group, who have homes on inner-city locations that are again desirable and in need of revamping. Do these customers really want to drive to a DIY store or garden centre on a greenfield site? Where retailers offer them sensible and easily accessible alternatives in their immediate surroundings, such neighbourhood stores are gaining acceptance. It seems that the sector has not lost its feel for the customer but is willing to accommodate his wishes wher­ever the need arises. That’s what convenience is all about. The retailers haven’t lost their creative touch, either, even after years of store gigantism. Next year will see the opening of the first three-storey garden centre in a German city. Rainer Strnad Managing…