Swiss DIY sales fall for the third year in a row

DIY retail in Switzerland shrank for the third year in a row in 2024. The sector's turnover fell by 3.9 per cent, resulting in a sales volume of CHF 3.40 bn (EUR 3.56 bn). On a like-for-like basis, sales fell by 3.3 per cent. “The weather trends are relevant in our industry,” explained René Haßfeld, spokesman of the BHB trade association and CEO of Toom Baumarkt, when presenting the figures from the GfK Total Store Report; the wet weather in spring also had a strong negative impact on industry sales in Germany last year. Inflation in Switzerland was 1.1 per cent. Most DIY store operators in the DACH region are members of the BHB.

Of the 22 product groups, only one did not decline: Garden chemicals/soil/seeds remained at the previous year's level at plus/minus 0 per cent. All other product groups show a minus sign in front of the rate of change. The biggest drop was in garden furniture…