Easter shaping up well for DIY retailers as appetite for home improvement returns

An ICM survey conducted for Retail Week found that 67% of respondents planned to do home improvement this year, up from 59% last year. That will give home improvement retailers a boost as they head towards the critical Easter-holiday trading period.

Almost two-thirds (65%) will go to a DIY retailer to purchase materials and carry out the work themselves, compared with 28% who plan to use a tradesperson - a boost for retailers, which have suffered in recent years as young people have turned away from DIY.

The number of those planning major changes - such as repainting, recarpeting, renovating, garden landscaping and building work - has increased from 48% to 58% year-on-year.

By contrast, the number of people planning building work this year is one in 20, the same figure as last year. Necessary repairs and maintenance were the key motivators for home improvement.

The recovering economy is having a more muted impact on people’s propensity to carry out projects, however. Only 9% of those planning to carry out DIY this year cited their improved financial situation as the main driver.

The findings come as DIY giant Kingfisher gears up to unveil its full-year results on March 31. All eyes in the City will be on new boss Véronique Laury as she sets out her stall in the first set of results since taking over from Sir Ian Cheshire.