DIY still a novelty

The end of the economic recession in 2010 encouraged Turkish people to start renovating their homes again after a few years in which spending was kept to a minimum. As house prices have been rising quite fast in Turkey, those who cannot afford to buy a new property tend to buy one in need of renovation. This home renovation trend has helped to generate positive growth in a number of home improvement categories in 2013 and 2014, from power and hand tools to wooden flooring and decorative paint.
One of the key factors behind the positive performance of the home improvement market is the rapid urbanisation of the country. The number of households has increased by 25 per cent in recent years, but the growth in urban households has been much faster, around 33 per cent. Urban dwellers have higher disposable incomes that they are willing to use to improve their apartments.
Moving to the city has brought changes to Turkish households. One of the most significant has been the substitution of carpets for wooden flooring in bedrooms and living rooms. Nevertheless, tiles remain a favourite in the country thanks to the warm weather. Turkish consumers usually choose tiles for their bathrooms, kitchens, corridors, entrance halls and balconies. This has helped local companies such as Kaleseramik and its Kalebodur brand to become well known among consumers. The company takes great care to ensure that it keeps abreast of changing consumer needs and preferences, and it invests heavily in the design aspects of its tile products, so as to create and maintain a strong difference in the eyes of consumers.
The idea of do it yourself is still a new and emerging concept in Turkey. As in many other emerging countries, hiring a professional – “do it for me” – is still very popular. Cheap labour in Turkey means that the cost of hiring workers is still affordable for most middle-upper income consumers. Many people prefer to have a professional builder or decorator to carry out the work as they are often not interested in manual labour.

Decorative paint, for example, is a popular DIY product, as it is a cheap and quick option for revamping a room. However, Turkish consumers rarely paint their own homes and it is much more common to employ professional decorators…