Do it + Garden positions itself as a "specialist store for homemade joie de vivre"

The Swiss DIY chain Do it + Garden, which is part of the Migros retail group, has reopened one of its stores as the "first specialist store for homemade joie de vivre" following a refurbishment.  The new concept of the 3 200 m² pilot store aims to convey the joy of DIY to customers and support them in their need for self-efficacy through creative activities. The basic idea is the megatrend of mental health, as Roland Seiler, head of Do it + Garden at the Migros Cooperative Federation, explained to suppliers at an event on the eve of the opening. The focus is on "instant happiness", i.e. a quick sense of achievement for the customer. Large screens at the store front and in the store communicate these themes.

One focus is on handicrafts, with cooking and baking being added to the existing Do it + Garden range. At the same time, typical DIY customers are to be addressed with a "curated selection", according to Seiler. The entire range is still available online, as indicated by signs with QR codes on the shelves. The products are generally presented by product group and not by brand; this is also the case for power tools, for example.

According to Seiler, the starting point for the new concept was the realisation that although Migros opened the first DIY store in Switzerland 65 years ago - at that time under the name Do it yourself - the Do it + Garden format, which is often located in shopping centres, has long since ceased to be a DIY store. At the same time, surveys have shown that customers identify Do it + Garden with the theme of handicrafts and creativity.

Do it + Garden will reopen a second store in the new format on 29 February 2024 in Crissier near Lausanne in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.