Very Italian and very international

At the start of the 10th Global DIY Summit, 350 congress participants gathered information about the Italian home improvement market. They took advantage of the store tour offered by the organizers to the international DIY sector the day before the actual congress.

The Italian company Bricofer presented itself as a very Italian format to visitors from all over the world. At the 2,550 m² location in Via Collatina, the company is testing a local supplier concept with a large range of food and drugstore products. The company, which recently generated annual sales of 265 million euros with 105 locations - many of which are in the 1,000 to 1,500 m² size category - attaches great importance to reacting flexibly to local conditions.

The store tour participants also took a close look at the Tecnomat concept with great interest. This sales division of the French Adeo Group is clearly geared towards professionals, but nevertheless generates around 40 percent of its sales with end consumers. The 9,225 m² site visited also includes a 3,225 m² building materials area with a drive-in. The 28,000 articles are displayed on the high shelves. In Italy, there are 31 locations of this sales division, which was launched in 2008 under the Bricoman brand.

Adeo also owns the Leroy Merlin sales division, which is represented in Italy with 52 stores and recently generated net sales of EUR 1.893 billion. The…