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DIY-Retail Sales Steady in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

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From 2009 German home improvement retail sales grew steadily, but there was a slight decline from 2011 to 2012: total turnover for German DIY sales was about 18.6 billion Euros, a slight nominal decline of 0.6 percent. Set against turnover per square metre retail space, DIY-sales were slightly down by 0.8 percent. read more…

DIY Lifetime Award for Manfred Maus

Maus_Obi

 

Manfred Maus is a leading pioneer in the DIY-business. Together with Emil Lux, he opened the first Obi-Markt DIY retail outlet in Hamburg in 1970, becoming one of the leading actors in the developing home improvement business. He stayed with Obi for more than 30 years, becoming chief executive and chairman of the board. He will be presented with the DIY Lifetime Award at the DIY-summit in June 2013, adding to his Bundesverdienstkreuz official German Order of Merit.
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BHB: Changes at the Top

 

Members of the BHB German Federation of DIY and Garden Product Retailers elected new members to the management board at their Berlin meeting on 5 December: the chief executive of Globus, Erich Huwer; Detlef Riesche, chairman of the Toom Baumarkt management; and Dr. Ralf Bartsch, chief executive of the Schlau/Hammer Group. These three join the existing four board members for the period 2013 to 2015. read more…

bauMax Restructures

 

With immediate effect Michael Hürter now has total responsibility for the operational business of bauMax, Austria’s leading DIY retail chain. The surprise announcement was made by Baumax AG board chairman Martin Essl at the recent BHB International DY Retail Conference. Herr Hürter, 49, joined bauMax in July this year; he has many years experience in retail management and in senior positions with such companies as Aldi and Lidl. He was also CEO Europe for Plus and a member of the Tengelmann Group management board. More recently, he was senior vice president for the Papyrus Group of companies. read more…

The Rawl Plug King

 

It may have been small enough to hide in your pocket, but this tiny invention revolutionised wide swathes of the DIY and building industries. Now, the King of the rawl plugs business Klaus Fischer, is to receive the DIY-Lifetime Award at the BHB Home Improvement Retail Conference on 5 December. The Award is made jointly by the BHB Association of Building and Garden Product Retailers and publishers Dähne Verlag. read more…

13th International BHB Building Market Congress

 

The BHB Federal German Association of Home Improvement Stores and Building Material Retailers will hold its 13th International Building Market Congress at Berlin’s Estrel Hotel on December 5-6. This year’s motto: DIY is everywhere. The Congress programme includes discussions and speakers describing new sales and distribution patterns, innovative marketing strategies, and the reasons why DIY is more than the sum of its individual parts. In addition to the DIY retail business, speakers will include trendsetters and experts from other commercial sectors. Subjects will include: the importance of social media; satisfaction derived from DIY projects; DIY on the crest of a wave; the multi-faceted customer King; don´t copy and paste – successful multi-channelling requires custom-designed solutions; and much more besides. read more…

DIY Goes Professional

 

 

Not so long ago many would call in a professional to paper the parlour, with the explanation that ‘I have two left hands’. But now, advice and a practical demonstration are easily obtained from the Internet and the job’s a snap. There are forums where manufacturers and those with professional knowledge will gladly pass it on. Modern materials are easier to use than earlier products and tools are designed with the unskilled in mind; so inexperience no longer really matters. In addition, many home improvement stores now run DIY-courses to show customers the basics.  Many retailers work through the DIY-Academy, whose main role is to pass on the essential knowledge, motivate the would-be DIYer, and supply a chunk of inspiration. Not least, many consumer magazines and television programmes have driven growing DIY interest. read more…

wolfcraft Harvests Sustainable ‘Eisen 2012’ Prize

 

This year’s International Hardware Fair Cologne was the occasion for presentation of the first BHB Sustainability Prizes; the BHB is the Federal German Association of DIY-, Home Improvement and Garden Product Retailers, and the prize is awarded in recognition of all-round policies in pursuit of sustainable business practices. This year’s winner was wolfcraft and Diager. The award is given in recognition of first-rate all-round company achievement in combining business success with social responsibility and sound environmental practices. These are factors that now attract increasing attention from potential customers, and deserve full recognition. read more…

Beaming Winners at the BHB-Forum in Cologne

 

This year’s prestigious BHB Customer Service prizes were formally presented to the winners on 4 March 2012. The BHB Customer Service Prizes were established over ten years ago, and are presented to businesses that have convincingly demonstrated a major and consistent effort to improve this aspect of their business. The prizes are sponsored by the BHB, publisher Verlag Siegfried Rohn and the event- and PR-agency Faupel Communication. read more…

Hardware Fair: We have Liftoff!

 

Action Stations: this is the first day of the International Hardware Fair Cologne 2012 – with some 2,600 exhibitors from 50 countries at the trade show of the year. This mega-event runs until 7 March and is the meeting place for exhibitors and decision takers from all top markets around the world. Here, they will find an enormous range of new products and garner many new ideas; and there is much business to be done. read more…

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The INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR COLOGNE takes place from 9 - 12 March 2014

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Your contact persons for INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR COLOGNE.

Writers

Kristina Hölscher
Kristina Hölscher
Editor Holzmann Verlag

Rainer Langelüddecke
Rainer Langelüddecke
General Manager
FWI

Olaf Dechow
Olaf Dechow
Environmental- and Social Policy
Otto Group

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