Another format

Chinese customers don’t particularly like western-style DIY stores. However, home improvement is nevertheless developing into a trendy topic that is increasingly preoccupying the expanding middle classes in this country as elsewhere. For purchasing the relevant products – most of which are then installed by a very affordable tradesman, not by the DIY enthusiast himself – customers in the major cities prefer another format: shopping centres that are at times several storeys high and combine under the one roof the shops of a variety of suppliers. To give one example, the Shanghai Haoshijia Group operates several such malls under the name of Haoshijia – House & Garden. The range of products covers the entire spectrum of DIY requirements, from hardware, sanitary fittings and bathrooms through to wall and floor coverings as well as interior decoration, home textiles and furniture, and also includes garden furniture, which is sometimes displayed on a sizeable outdoor area. Numerous international brands are also present with their elaborate brand-name shops. But this concept is also being realized a few categories higher in terms of exclusivity. Home Value, for instance, is in business in this segment. Here interior design is celebrated in regular temples to consumerism, where spacious hallways and stairs are designed to create a sophisticated ambience for orchestrating the furnishing brands. The somewhat less prestigious ranges such as hardware, fittings or paint are also to be found here, though presented in not quite such lavish style. They have their place on the lower floor. Download: