So much is new

At the moment it's hard to keep up with reporting on all the new floor space concepts, formats and pilot stores which are being launched in the trade. But in this edition of DIY International, we have attempted to anyway, and have dedicated a special section in this issue to the topic of "New concepts".
Some of the examples we present are enjoying a certain degree of international fame, such as the pilot store by the new own brand sales channel GoodHome by Kingfisher. Other examples are maybe somewhat less known, for example the Austrian sales channel Let's do it, or the first real DIY discounter Bauaktiv in Germany. From the garden trade we have included the Belgian example Aveve.
And of course, Leroy Merlin can't go amiss, after all, the Adeo Group is often testing new sales concepts, most recently in China again, where the own brand Artens has been given its own shop for floor coverings. In contrast, this issue presents the showroom format in Portugal, which is also in operation in Italy in this form.
The new Leroy Merlin l'appart in Paris would also have fitted into this series - "l'appart" for "l'appartement" because here several showroom apartments are displayed, including their overall price per square metre, for customers in the inner city where apartments are small and expensive.
And that isn't Leroy Merlin's first inner-city adventure. For over a year now, there has been a store with a similar approach on the prestigious Place de la Madeleine. Just around the corner, Ikea has now opened its second inner-city furniture store.

However no-one does something like this in France under the motto "l'art pour l'art" - simply achieving fame and glory with such a location isn't what's wanted, it's expected to earn money too. But this, as can be heard here and there, isn't quite so simple.
The crisis-hit Swedish chain Clas Ohlson has already experienced this for themselves and is withdrawing from Great Britain and Germany. And speaking of Germany: the industry is eagerly waiting to see what overall concept the market leader, with its Obi Next project, will actually be applying to the retail space. At the Summit in Dublin, which is reported on in this issue, Obi boss Sergio Giroldi didn't really want to come out…