DIY stores slightly in the minus up to July in Italy

In Italy, DIY stores forfeited 1.9 per cent of their sales from January to July compared to the same period last year. The coronavirus pandemic resulted in severe fluctuations: after a drop of 56.1 per cent in March and 37.6 per cent in April, the industry recorded a rise of 43.5 per cent in May. Figures also remained double-digit later: up 11.4 per cent in June and up 12.8 per cent in July. These figures from the market research company have been reported, for example, by the industry service "10 minutes DIY and garden".
The product groups with growths were paint (7 per cent), garden (4 per cent), home care (4 per cent) and lighting (3 per cent). Losses were made by tools and hardware (-10 per cent), sanitary (-9 per cent), furniture (-5 per cent) and building materials (-3 per cent).
One figure from May shows just how strong the fluctuations were: sales in garden products rose in total by 79 per cent compared to the same period last year, at DIY superstores by 82 per cent.