Over 500 participants from 30 countries are now expected to be at the spectacular Disneyland Convention Centre for the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum in Paris, which will be the biggest ever International networking event in the home improvement industry. 90 European retailers have already registered from 40 companies and include almost all of the top 20.

Some 28,000 visitors attended the National Hardware Show (NHS) in Las Vegas in early May, slightly more than a year ago. They included 4,800 independent retailers, more than ever before. One reason for this is the cooperation with the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA). More than 2,500 exhibitors from over 35 countries were represented at the NHS, including some 650 who were attending for the first time. The next NHS will be held on 7-9 May 2013.

The Linz bauMax store has been named a Green Building Partner by the EU Commission. This is in recognition of the marked reduction in energy consumption after the store was altered and extended in 2011. The most important measures were the installation of new windows and, above all, a new lighting system, which saves up to 30% of energy through adapting automatically to the current level of daylight. The heating supply was changed from natural gas to long-distance heating. The EU's Green Building programme honours companies that invest in efforts to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of their buildings.

The retail arm of Travis Perkins Plc, including Wickes and Tile Giant, revealed a like-for-like sales drop of 5.2% during the 17 weeks to 30 April 2012, but the figure was boosted to -2.6% when counting the newly-acquired Toolstation. Overall, the group reported a revenue increase of 4.4%, boosted by strong performance in its specialist, general and plumbing & heating merchanting. Bosses blamed the wet weather during April for negatively impacting retail sales, which brought figures down from a "good first quarter".

With still over four weeks to go before the event, retailers from 39 home improvement companies operating in 48 countries have already registered for the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum to be held in Disneyland, Paris on 31 May - 1 June 2012. OBI, Europe's third largest home improvement company, has registered 16 senior executives to attend this event. Altogether 500 executives are expected to attend the Forum, which will be the biggest gathering of European home improvement retailers and vendors ever held. Anyone interested in attending the Forum is advised to register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as the event and the event hotels are almost fully booked.

Lowe's has created two new positions within its company and has promoted two of its current executives to these new roles. Gregory Bridgeford, executive vice president of business development, has been named chief customer officer and Rick Damron, executive vice president of store operations, has been named chief operating officer. These new promotions will take effect 5 May.

Bunnings, the Australian DIY chain, has reported sales of AUS $1.741bn in the first three months of the current year, which is a 4.3% improvement on the same period last year. Sales grew by 2.6% in like-for-like terms. This period is the third quarter of Bunnings' financial year, which commences in July. Sales over the first three quarters add up to AUS $5.533bn, which means they are 6.0% (like-for-like 4.0%) above the comparable period of the previous year. The company currently (to 31 March 2012) operates 200 stores in the warehouse format and 58 smaller DIY stores; it intends to open seven more stores by the middle of the year.

Ian Cheshire, Kingfisher Group Chief Executive, has been awarded the Retail Week Retailer of the Year Award for 2012. This award is for the individual who has made the greatest contribution to their own business and the wider sector over the previous 12 months, and is voted for by the Retail Week editorial team. Commenting on receiving the award, Ian Cheshire said: "This award is for the team, rather than for me. It's a wonderful recognition of the part our 35,000 people in the UK, and 80,000 people around the world, play in making Kingfisher the successful international retailer it is today. It's on their behalf that I'm able to accept this award.

Top managers from both home improvement retail companies and the leading suppliers will discuss "How to get the best out of your people" at the upcoming 2nd European Home Improvement Forum taking place in Paris on 31 May - 1 June. Sergio Giroldi, CEO OBI, and Régis Degelcke, Vice President Groupe ADEO and EDRA President, will represent the retailers, whilst Henning von Boxberg, Executive Vice President responsible for Bosch Power Tools Europe, and David Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President Henkel for Consumer and Craftsman Adhesives, will represent the vendors. Also taking part is Christoph Zeiss, Managing Partner of Heads, one of Europe' s leading "headhunting" companies. The moderator for this discussion will be Thierry Coeman who always has the skill to ask the right questions.

Byko, the Icelandic hardware and building materials dealer, has joined the European buying association Bricoalliance as its tenth member. With seven outlets and annual sales of €70m, Byko is considered to be Iceland's market leader. Its customers are home-owners and DIYers as well as professional building contractors. The company is part of the Norvik holding group. Apart from its retailing business, this group is also active as a timber merchant and sawmill operator in Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Britain and Sweden. The two partners believe that their agreement will open up procurement possibilities for Bricoalliance in this product field.

With still eight weeks to go a record number of European retailers from 37 companies have already registered for the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum in Paris on 31 May - 1 June. This event promises to be the biggest get-together of European top executives ever held. About 500 executives are expected to attend the forum. If you are a player in the European Home Improvement Industry, the 2nd European Forum is a "must go to" event.

In just one month the National Hardware Show kicks off offering a platform for global manufacturers, associations, organizations and the media to unveil their new products, ideas and insights to a broad spectrum of home improvement resellers. EDRA believes that "every home centre company should send a representative to discover the latest in the largest and most competitive market in the world along with visiting the Home Depot, Lowes and other inspiring stores in the greater Las Vegas area." John Herbert of EDRA will attend the show from 1-3 May 2012 and also join the store tour in the Las Vegas area on 2 May from 11am - 5pm.

At the opening of its 200th Warehouse at Greenacre, New South Wales, Bunnings announced that it will create 6,000 Australian jobs over the next three years through a $1.5 billion network expansion plan. In addition, more than 11,500 jobs will be created during the construction phase. Bunnings future network expansion plans involve up to 85 sites across Australia and New Zealand with 18 sites already under construction (representing more than 250,000 m2 of space). This investment is part of Bunnings longstanding network expansion plans. Bunnings is opening between 16 and 26 new trading locations annually.

The retailing world is rapidly changing like we have never experienced before an the internet is having a major impact on how consumers buy in the future. Paul Alexander, CEO of Beyond Analysis, will be speaking on, "Unlocking the secrets of the multi-channel DIY Consumer", and Alisdair Bruce of Google Retail will talk about, "Digital magic to accelerate your business", at this year's European Home Improvement Forum hosted by EDRA and fediyma. Another keynote speaker is Dr David Bosshart, CEO of the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute in Rüschlikon/Zurich, who will be talking about, "The age of less", which will also have a major impact on retailing in the future as the consumers of tomorrow will buy less but will want better quality products. As the author of articles in countless international publications and a multilingual speaker, Dr Bosshart is much in demand for keynote speeches in Europe, the USA and Asia. 500 senior executives including at least 35 CEOs of home improvement retailing companies from all over Europe are expected to attend this event.

Last year Leroy Merlin recorded sales of some €1.461bn in Spain. The chain, which is part of the French Groupe Adeo, currently has a total of 51 Spanish stores, which claim a market share of around 10%. Capital investment of €73m in 2011 was for the most part directed towards the new outlet in Toledo and the extension of the store in Badalona. One strategic goal for the company is the expansion of its range of products available online, which is to be increased to 30,000 articles. Leroy Merlin also sees itself as the market leader in terms of energy-efficient products in Spain. The company made sales of €191m in 2011 with the 5,000-plus articles included under its private label, Eco-Opciones.

The Irish group, which owns Woodie's DIY and Atlantic Homecare, revealed that underlying operating profits were up 13% to €54.7m for the year, but that sales in its retail division dropped by 4.7% to €219.7m. Sales at Woodie's DIY stores saw lower spends on high ticket items. Like-for-life turnover overall for UK merchanting businesses - which include Plumbase and Buildbase - saw growth of 4.3%, and revenue overall for the group soared by 3% to €2.05bn for the year ended December 31, 2011. The decline in the company's retail businesses was blamed on declining disposable incomes, a weak labour market and a high savings ratio.

A record number of industry CEOs and top managers are expected to attend the EDRA/fediyma European Home Improvement Forum in Paris on 31 May - 1 June 2012. With still three months to go, CEOs and top managers from 33 retailing companies have already registered for the 2nd Forum, which this year is taking place at the Disneyland Congress Centre in Paris. The initial response has been extremely positive and more than 500 executives are expected to attend this event. The Forum offers an unbeatable opportunity for networking, to meet the European leaders in our industry and to hear about the new trends and innovations in the world of home improvement. Hurry to snap up the tickets offered at the 'Early Bird' rate, which ends on 15 March 2012.

2012 marks the 35th year of the bauMax brand. The retailer's first opening, in Bruck/Mur, Austria, marked the start of 35 years of growth and expansion to become the market leader in Austria, with 26% of market share, and a truly international business, which today employs more than 11,000 people and operates 155 stores in nine countries (Austria (67), Czech Republic (24), Slovakia (15), Hungary (15), Slovenia (3), Croatia (7), Romania (14), Bulgaria (5) and Turkey (5)). The bauMax Group continues to post positive results with turnover in 2011 up 3% to €1.6bn. BauMax has plans for six new stores in 2012.

Following a year that was not kind overall to the dealers, RONA has released results that reflected that year. However, the end of the year saw good sales throughout the industry, thanks largely to unseasonably warm weather. This was reflected in RONA's sales for the fourth quarter, which were up 2.4%, whilst gross profits fell 2.0%. Same-store sales were down 2.3% in the fourth quarter and down 3.8% in the second half. For the year, RONA's revenues fell by only 0.3% to $4.805bn and gross profits were down by 1.6%.

All participants of the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum, taking place on 31 May - 1 June in Paris, will have the opportunity to download the new fediyma International DIY Consumer Study 2012, which includes data from Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia and Turkey. Learn more about the European DIY consumer and the facts, trends and expectations for the future of the DIY-Gardening sector in these countries, with an overview presented by Oliver Schmitz, Division Manager GfK Living. Register for the Forum now and expand your knowledge about the European DIY-Gardening market.

B&Q's UK and Ireland sales in the 13 weeks to January 28 rose by 0.2% to £837m, continuing to benefit from the closure of Focus DIY last year. Screwfix sales grew 10.3% to £131m (up 2.2% like-for-like (LFL)). Total sales in the UK & Ireland were £968m, up 1.5% overall, but down 1.9% LFL. In France, Castorama and Brico Dépôt made sales of £938m in Q4, up 5.7% overall and up 4.2% LFL respectively. In Poland total sales increased by 3.5% to £212m (down 1.9% LFL), and in Russia sales grew by 35.4% to £86m (up 13.2% LFL) reflecting new store openings. In Spain, Brico Dépôt sales declined slightly by 1.8% to £45m (down 1.9% LFL), and B&Q China sales fell 3.9% (down 2.6% LFL) to £106m, reflecting a challenging housing market. Worldwide Kingfisher's total Q4 sales were up 2.2%, (0.9% LFL), and the company expects full-year adjusted profit to be up around 20%, in line with current analyst estimates of £799m. "We have ended another challenging year in robust shape," said group CEO Ian Cheshire. "Looking ahead the global economic outlook is uncertain, and so we will remain focused on self-help measures to trade the business effectively, whatever the market conditions." Full-year results will be announced on March 22.

Italian DIY chain Self is the latest retailer to join Bricoalliance, the Belgium-based buying group. Self operates 29 stores with a total sales area of 87,000m2 and a turnover of €195m. With Self as a new member the total turnover of Bricoalliance has passed the €2bn mark enabling Bricoalliance to obtain better purchase opportunities and place the members in a stronger commercial position.

Véronique Laury, Commercial Director of B&Q UK, will participate as a keynote speaker at the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum taking place on 31 May - 1 June at Disney's Newport Bay Club Convention Center, Paris. Laury will be joined by Mariann Wenckheim, Partner and Director at 20.20 Strategic Design Company, to talk about "Reinventing DIY". They are two of the top leaders within the sector and will provide the latest information concerning new design trends in DIY stores and packaging. This unmissable event will provide a unique opportunity to meet representatives of the top DIY companies to discuss the developments which are already changing and shaping the markets.

With over 400 senior delegates from Russia's DIY and Housewares retailing community this congress is the place to be if you are interested in doing business in Russia. Currently DIY and housewares retailing is developing in Russia several times faster than in more mature markets and this is the largest and most senior event for those retailers in Russia. The forum is held on 7-8 June at the Renaissance Olympisky Hotel in Moscow. Participants include all the top 10 pure market players by revenues, such as Castorama, Trest SCM, OBI and Leroy Merlin.

EDRA is delighted to announce their International Networking Reception will take place at the International Hardware Fair and will be co-sponsored with The Worldwide DIY Council, North America's premier trade association for DIY exporters, NRHA (North American Retail Hardware Association) and IHA (International Federation of Hardware and Housewares Association). The International Networking Reception has been initiated in the belief that while the International Hardware Fair provides an excellent opportunity for contacts, both business and pleasure to be made during the show hours, these can be built upon through social events. "While undoubtedly the show is the main event, these additional social activities are highly beneficial for companies in developing new global relationships and for growing their retail and manufacturing businesses. We are pleased to be a part of this event," says John Herbert, General Secretary of EDRA. The International Networking Reception will take place at 18:00-20:00 on Monday 5 March at The Congress Centre East, 4th Floor, Southern Foyer.

EDRA and fediyma (The European Federation of DIY Manufacturers) are pleased to announce that Gilles Caille, president of the French DIY manufacturers' association Unibal and co-founder of fediyma, will receive the second European DIY Lifetime Award. He will be presented with the award on the evening of the first day of the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum, which will be held in Paris on 31 May - 1 June 2012. "I feel extremely honoured by this DIY Lifetime Award. I see in such a distinction the recognition for all the years I have dedicated to DIY as General Manager of RED HEAD, President of Unibal, and, especially, as one of the founders of fediyma. My dream of a strong European organisation alongside America and Asia has now been realised. Many countries have now joined fediyma and with a growing EDRA for the retailers the two associations have created a fruitful cooperation, which among others has resulted in the EDRA /fediyma European Forum", said Gilles Caille. It is expected that approximately 500 delegates will participate in the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum.

With effect from the start of 2012, Thomas Marx (44) will take over the management of bauMax in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Thomas Marx has been with the company for over 17 years, beginning his career in the early nineties as a store manager trainee. His career led him from store manager and sales manager up to the national managing director and he will now take on this new role. BauMax currently operates 155 stores in nine countries: Austria (67), Czech Republic (24), Slovakia (15), Hungary (15), Slovenia (3), Croatia (7), Romania (14), Bulgaria (5) and Turkey (5).

The board and management of EDRA are very pleased to announce that Wickes, UK, has joined EDRA. Wickes is UK's third largest home improvement company with over 200 stores and sales of £969.1m in 2011. The Managing Director of Wickes is Simon King and parent company, Travis Perkins Building Retail Business, is headed up by Chairman Jeremy Bird. EDRA now has 34 members representing 94 home centre companies operating in 51 countries.

EDRA is delighted to announce that Self Italy have joined the organization. Self s.r.l, founded in 1989, is a family-owned concern and the fourth largest home improvement company in Italy with 29 stores and sales of €200m. Based in Torino and operating in 12 Regions, Self employs almost 1,000 associates and is overseen by CEO Enrico Gardino The retailer has two principal store formats, one with an average selling space of 3,500m2 and the other around 6,000- 7,000m2. EDRA now has 33 members representing 94 home centre companies operating in 51 countries.

IPM ESSEN, the world's leading trade fair in the fields of plants, technology, floriculture and sales-promoting measures, with approximately 105,000m2 in 19 adjacent exhibition halls, will take place on 24-27 January in Essen, Germany. The annual show attracts around 60,000 visitors from 94 countries, and accommodates over 1500 exhibitors from 43 countries. Commercial growers, wholesalers and retailers come for the latest pot plants, foliage plants and nursery stock in addition to ancillary equipment & products and retail & floristry sundries. IPM ESSEN offers creative concepts, new perspectives and diversity, covering the entire spectrum of the green sector at the highest level. John Herbert and Cecilie Beyer from EDRA will be at the fair and look forward to welcoming EDRA members.

Taking place on 7-8 June at the Renaissance Moscow Hotel, Moscow, the DIY & Household Retail Russia Congress will bring together all the key market participants for the sale of construction, renovation, household, interior and garden products from all sides of the industry. Since its inception five years ago, the event has been a unique platform for the chief executives of the retail chains, specialized shopping centres, manufacturers and distributors to meet. Over 50 speakers from leading Russian retail chains will be exploring and debating the critical issues for their industry today. The summit is held with the support of EDRA and fediyma.

Around 2,600 suppliers from 50 countries are expected at the International Hardware Fair in Cologne 2012. On 4-7 March 2012, the Hardware Fair will present the entire range of hardware expertise. Over a period of four days professionals from trade and industry will come together in Cologne with buyers and suppliers from all over the world in order to present and examine new products and trends, form new business contacts and place orders for the coming year. The International Hardware Fair is divided into four product segments: Tools; Industrial Supply; Fasteners and Fixings, Fittings; and Home Improvement. John Herbert and Cecilie Beyer from EDRA will be at the fair and look forward to welcoming EDRA members.

BHB, the German DIY Retailers' Association, has given itself a new name. It now functions as the "Handelsverband Heimwerken, Bauen, Garten" (DIY, Building and Garden Retail Association). The association intends the renaming to end the restriction to the DIY distributive channel and to open up new channels such as the specialist trade and the internet.

Bunnings, Australia's leading home improvement and outdoor living retailer, has commenced construction of a new Bunnings warehouse that will have a total store size of more than 18,800m2, including a main warehouse, indoor timber trade sales area, building materials and landscape supplies yard and an outdoor nursery. The development of the new Warehouse forms part of Bunnings' almost two decade long network expansion plan that targets 16 to 26 new locations per annum. This has included opening four new stores in Victoria over the past 12 months at Wangaratta, Craigieburn, Caroline Springs and Hastings. This comes at the same time as news that the company is continuing to expand its store network in metropolitan Sydney, with construction of five new warehouse stores underway. The five stores represent a combined investment of more than $263m and will create more than 1,150 new permanent jobs and over 1,800 construction jobs. The stores are part of Bunnings' $600m investment in 18 new sites in New South Wales.

The 2nd European Home Improvement Forum will take place on 31 May - 1 June at Europe's leading conference resort, Disney's Newport Bay Club Convention Center. The event, hosted by EDRA and fediyma (the European Federation of DIY Manufacturers) will present an unmissable opportunity for representatives of the leading DIY companies to discuss the developments which are already changing and shaping the markets. The theme will centre on four key topics: 1) Design - New trends in stores and packaging, 2) Garden - Future trends for growth potential, 3) Human Resources - How to get and develop the right people in the future? and 4) E-commerce - Is the Home-Garden Improvement sector ripe for e-commerce? One of the highlights of this year's event is the 2nd European DIY-Lifetime Award presented to a well-known figure in our industry for exceptional contribution over many years to the European DIY market. The Forum will also be the perfect occasion to present the new fediyma International DIY Consumer Study 2012, with data from new countries including Austria, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia and Turkey.

The second Ferramenta Day ended on Friday 11th November with much satisfaction for all participants, including 600 audience members and 230 companies. The congress, organized by "Ferramenta 2000" magazine in cooperation with Assofermet, confirmed itself as a day for networking and B2B development for the whole hardware supply chain. Particularly popular were one-to-one meetings between companies and wholesalers and the vast exhibition area. The speakers, among which two university lecturers, businessmen, company managers, wholesalers, and EDRA General Secretary John Herbert, presented analyses of the current market situation.

On 17 November 2011 Austrian home improvement retailer bauMax opened its fifth store in Turkey. The new location in the Turkish capital Ankara has an area of approximately 15,000m2 and is the 155th Market in the bauMax group. With the slogan "Every Day Lowest Price" bauMax offers customers permanently low prices. Another feature of the Turkish store is that more than 75% of the suppliers come directly from Turkey, ensuring further jobs in the country. BauMax currently operates 155 stores in nine countries, five of them in Turkey, 67 in Austria, 24 in the Czech Republic, 15 in Slovakia, 15 in Hungary, three in Slovenia, seven in Croatia, 14 in Romania and five in Bulgaria.

The DIY chain Bunnings, part of the Home Improvement Division of Australian retail group Wesfarmers, saw its sales grow to AUS $1.730bn in the first quarter of fiscal 2011/2012 (July to September), an increase of 8.5% on the same period in the previous year. The increase in like-for-like sales was 6.3%. In this quarter, the division opened three Bunnings Warehouse stores and two specialist retail centres. 13 further new stores are currently under construction. Bunnings has a share amounting to nearly a fifth of the Australian home improvement and outdoor living market, which is worth AUS $36bn. Its sales in the last financial year came to AUS $6.8bn. Bunnings currently operates 197 stores in the Warehouse format, 59 smaller DIY stores and 37 specialist retail outlets.

RONA, the leading player in the Canadian DIY and garden centre market, ended the third quarter with an increase of 2.1% in sales compared with the same period last year. Its same-store sales declined 5.1%. Total sales came to Can $1.3471bn. Consolidated revenues for the first three quarters were Can $3.6354bn, equivalent to a drop in sales of 1.2% and of 8.7% in same-store sales. President and CEO Robert Dutton anticipates that the pressure on same-store sales will continue over the next few quarters.

The Grafton Group, owner of Woodie's DIY and Atlantic Homecare, has reported turnover for the 10 months ending 31 October of €1.73bn, compared with €1.70bn in the same period last year. The UK business, which includes the Buildbase, Plumbase and Selco brands and accounts for 70% of turnover, reported a 4.8% increase for the period, as well as growth of 5% in the first half. Meanwhile, Grafton's Irish merchanting operations reported a 7.7% decline in turnover for the 10-month period, compared with a 7.2% drop in the half year. Turnover in the Irish retailing business, which includes Woodie's DIY and Atlantic Homecare, was down 5.7% in the period to October, as the firm states that the economic environment in Ireland is likely "to make trading conditions challenging for some time ahead". The group added that, due to further delay in the recovery in its sector and the lower operational leverage as a result, it expects full year operating profit, before restructuring and amortisation costs, to be in the range of €52m to €55m, compared with €50.6m achieved in 2010.

Homebase has reported flat sales in the first half, while Home Retail Group stablemate Argos has seen sales decline and a 94% drop in operating profit. Homebase sales dropped 1.8% for the 26 weeks ended 27 August 27 - down just 0.6% on a like-for-like basis. Home Retail Group chief executive Terry Duddy described the results as a "robust performance" in weak trading conditions, with the home improvement retailer growing market share in the first half. In a separate announcement, Home Retail Group revealed the launch of a joint venture company with Argos and home appliance manufacturer Haier Group to develop a multi-channel general merchandise retail business in China.

The Swedish DIY retailer BYGGmax has announced a sales increase of 5.4% to SEK 1.100bn in the third quarter. This indicates net sales growth in the first nine months of 6.5% to SEK 2.3687bn, and a decline of 2.9% when calculated in like-for-like and local currency terms. Altogether the company opened 13 new stores from January to September and now operates 86 DIY stores in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Next year BYGGmax is planning between 10 and 15 new openings. The board can see the potential for up to 155 outlets altogether, 85 of them in Sweden, 45 in Norway and 25 in Finland.

Lowe's Cos. is closing 20 "underperforming" stores in 15 states. Ten locations closed at the end of business on Sunday, Oct. 16. The remaining ten locations will close within a month, following an inventory sell-through. The company will lay off almost 1,950 workers and take a second-quarter charge of $345-415m. Planned openings for the coming years are being ratcheted down from 30 to around 10 or 15 annually.

EDRA is pleased to announce that RONA is joining EDRA's Global Home Improvement Network. EDRA now has 32 members representing 92 home centre companies operating in 51 countries. RONA is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, renovation and gardening products. The company operates a network of close to 700 corporate, franchise and affiliate stores of various sizes and formats. With nearly 30,000 employees working under its family of banners in every region of Canada and more than 15 million square feet of retail space, the RONA store network generates over $6bn in annual retail sales.

The number one in the green sector, IPM ESSEN, will celebrate its 30th birthday in 2012 with over 1,500 exhibitors from more than 40 countries. In 2012 IPM ESSEN will thus assert its position as the premier fair in the sector. On an exhibition area of 105,000 square metres, the exhibitors will present products and services to the around 60,000 expected visitors in everything to do with plants and horticultural technology, floristry and sales-promoting measures. Over four days, the IPM ESSEN fair will be open exclusively to trade visitors from 9am to 6pm every day. John Herbert and Cecilie Beyer from EDRA look forward to welcoming EDRA members to the fair.

Since the beginning of October 2011 fediyma has acquired two new members from Italy and Russia respectively. FITT S.p.A. is fediyma's second member from Italy whereas the Russian Cascade is their first member from Russia. Fediyma represents DIY-Garden manufacturers throughout Europe and together with EDRA organises congresses each year.

The French Groupe Adeo has opened its first DIY store in Romania the capital Bucharest. “We don’t need to alter our strategy, since we base our planning on a strategy that integrates the crisis. Because we are the only brand to have opened in this market since the crisis, which is an advantage to my way of thinking,” Philippe Hauville, managing director of Leroy Merlin in Romania. The new DIY store boasts a retail area of 16,500m², making it the biggest in this retail format, which now operates in twelve different countries.

BYGGmax, a Swedish DIY retailer with activities in Norway and Finland as well, is planning yet another store for central Sweden. Scheduled for opening in Smedjebacken, Ludvika, in spring 2012, this will result in the company having more than doubled its total number of outlets in Sweden to 59 since 2003. The new DIY store will be some 8,000m² in size and feature a drive-in facility. The sales of BYGGmax in Sweden amounted to approximately €311m in 2010.

50% Kingfisher-owned Koçtas has opened a new store in the Turkish capital Ankara. This brings the Koçtas portfolio to 33 outlets with a total sales area of 165,000 m². The other stores are located in Adana, Adapzari, Afyonkarahisar, Alanya, Ankara (2), Antalya (2), Bodrum, Bursa (3), Denizli, Edremit, Eskisehir, Gebrze, Istanbul (6), Izmir (3), Izmit, Kayseri, Konya, Kusadasi, Malatya, Mersin and Trabzon. Koçtas plans to increase its number of stores to 40 in the next two years.

Themed "From DIY to Home-Garden Improvement", the 2nd European Home Improvement Forum will take place on 31 May - 1 June at Europe's leading conference resort, Disney's Newport Bay Club Convention Center, Paris. The event, hosted by EDRA and fediyma (the European Federation of DIY Manufacturers) will present an unmissable opportunity for representatives of the leading DIY companies to discuss the developments which are already changing and shaping the markets. The theme will centre on four key topics: 1) Design - New trends in stores and packaging, 2) Garden - Future trends for growth potential, 3) Human Resources - How to get and develop the right people in the future? and 4) E-commerce - Is the Home-Garden Improvement sector ripe for e-commerce? One of the highlights of this year's event is the 2nd European DIY-Lifetime Award presented to a well-known figure in our industry for exceptional contribution over many years to the European DIY market. The Forum will also be the perfect occasion to present the new fediyma International DIY Consumer Study 2012, with data from new countries including Austria, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia and Turkey.

The Köln Messe has reported that the world's No 1 Garden Products trade fair, spoga+gafa in Cologne, was a huge success with 1774 vendors from 57 countries exhibiting at the show. Over 35,000 visitors from 106 countries attended the trade fair, a figure 40% higher than two years ago when the fair was predominantly only spoga, proving the need for an annual spoga + gafa event. EDRA is very pleased to report that almost every member sent representatives, totalling more than 140 known buyers attending this event, including the global network members such as Bunnings of Australia, EpicentrK of Ukraine, Tekzen of Turkey and BYKO of Iceland just to mention a few. The CEO of Bunnings, John Gillam, gave a well-attended company presentation inviting vendor companies to take advantage of Bunnings' continual growth in Australia and New Zealand. Sadly, again, some top name vendors did not have booths at the fair but the executives from these companies were almost all present in Cologne and making contacts with the buyers who attended this show. Whilst respecting that cost can be an issue, EDRA retailers are disappointed that these companies did not show some presence in the form of a small contact booth at the fair, rather than meeting the buyers in hotels or indeed outside the fair altogether. EDRA will continue to support trade fairs and is now in it's second year of providing services for members at its "Recommended Global Trade Fairs" such as organizing meetings, dinners and store tours for its members.

Fediyma, the European Federation of DIY Manufacturers, now has its first member in Italy since Arcansas joined on 1 September 2011. This company, which was founded in 1981, offers profiles for floors and ceramic tiling, for parquet, fitted carpeting, cushion and vinyl flooring. Fediyma sees the move as one step towards the founding of a manufacturers' association in Italy.

The board and management of EDRA are very pleased to announce that Praktis, Bulgaria, has joined EDRA. The Managing Director of the Holding Company Megadom, Mr Ljuben Milchev, opened the first Praktis store in Sofia in 2002 with a sales area of 1,300m2 and 24 employees. Today Praktis operates five stores in Bulgaria and will be opening a 13,000m2 store later this year. In 2007 Praktis opened its first trade centre in Stara Zagora. Praktis is planning to open 30 stores in the next 10 years not only in Bulgaria but also in Macedonia, Serbia, Romania and Moldova. Including Praktis EDRA now has 31 members representing a total of 92 home centre companies operating in 50 countries.

Austrian home improvement chain bauMax has opened its fourth store in Turkey. The new location in the Aegean coastal city of Bodrum has a sales area of around 15,000m². More than 75% of suppliers for the Turkish bauMax stores come directly from the country. This comes at the same times as news that in the first half of 2011 bauMax increased its sales by 6% abroad and by 3% in Austria. According to an analysis by the Austrian chain, this is attributable primarily to a strategy reorientation towards greater service and higher-quality ranges. BauMax currently operates 154 stores in nine countries, including four in Turkey, 67 in Austria, 24 in the Czech Republic, 15 in Slovakia, 15 in Hungary, three in Slovenia, seven in Croatia, 14 in Romania and five in Bulgaria.

Shares in Kingfisher, owner of DIY chain B&Q, rose sharply last week, on the back of rumours of a takeover. Suggestions that two US DIY chains - Home Depot and Lowe's - could both make a move for the B&Q owner meant the group finished 5.2p higher at 236.5p. As well as the flagship B&Q business, Kingfisher owns Screwfix in the UK and Castorama in France, as well as a significant share in Hornbach in Germany, and it is also a DIY market leader in Poland, Turkey and China. However, it is not the first time the two US companies have been linked to Kingfisher, and it has also been suggested that it could be a target for private equity concerns. Market rumours suggested a bid price as high as £3.50 a share - a significant premium to the current price, and one which would value Kingfisher at more than £8bn.

Over 100 buyers from EDRA have confirmed that they will be attending spoga+gafa. One leading company is sending as many as 14 buyers to this, the world's largest trade fair for garden products. There will also be a delegation from Bunnings of Australia (a member of EDRA's Global Home Improvement Network) that will include the Bunnings CEO John Gillam. There will be a separate room at the trade fair where EDRA members can meet and relax. Spoga+gafa is one of the EDRA Recommended Global Trade Fairs.

Mr Gudmunder H. Jonsson has been appointed the new CEO of BYKO. Educated at the University of Iceland Mr Jonsson was previously the assistant CEO of NORVIK group, which owns BYKO. He will replace Sigurdur E. Ragnarsson who has taken up another senior appointment in the Norvik Holding company. BYKO operates the biggest construction product store in Iceland in addition to 7 other stores.

IPM Dubai 2011, the International Plants Expo Middle East, will be held at the Airport Expo Dubai on 26-28 September. More than 110 exhibitors from 20 countries will present products and services covering plants, horticultural technology, sales promotion, plant care, logistics and floristry. A definite trend is becoming evident here: increasing numbers of floristry suppliers are making use of this platform in Dubai in response to the demand for upmarket floral decoration, which is seeing strong growth throughout the entire region.

Dr Jack Truong, former vice president and general manager of the 3M Construction and Home Improvement Markets Division, has left the company. His successor is Laurie A. Altman, who has been with the company for over 20 years. Truong made an appearance as recently as June at the EDRA-fediyma 1st Global DIY Summit in Brussels, where he gave the laudatory discourse in honour of Pat Farrah, co-founder of Home Depot, who was the recipient of the 1st Global DIY Lifetime Award for his life's work.

B&Q is moving its headquarters to a brand new, eco-friendly building named B&Q House. More than 1,400 staff will be making the move over the next eight weeks to the new offices, which are just next door to their old premises in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire. The new building aims to be close to carbon neutral, with sustainable products used throughout the building. These include heat sensors, which automatically open and close windows to keep heating bills down. B&Q House has been awarded BREEAM status - the world's leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings.

K-Rauta has opened a new home improvement store, with a total sales area of 7,000m², in Haparanda in northeast Sweden. This brings the Finnish Rautakesko Group's total to 21 K-Rauta stores in Sweden. Another opening is planned for autumn in Upsalla.

EDRA Recommended Global Trade Fair, spoga+gafa, has announced that all of the halls allocated to the event have been booked up. The exhibition space of more than 200,000m² scheduled for the garden trade fair in Cologne on 4-6 September 2011 is nearly 50% greater than the comparable event two years ago. Some 1,700 exhibitors from 53 nations have announced their intention to participate.

The DIY Home Improvement & Suppliers Exhibition 2011 takes place in Istanbul from 15-18 September at Istanbul CNR Expo Center. The leading companies of the industry offer their products to the domestic and overseas markets bringing together DIY market buyers, wholesalers and retailers all under one roof. Under the lead of the Tedarik Gazetesi (supplier publication), the Exhibition will be organized by Medya Fors. EDRA supports the Exhibition and general secretary of EDRA, John Herbert, will attend the fair and recommends people to visit as this offers a gateway to the Turkish market.

Tengelmann, a German retailing group, reports a figure of €6.4bn for the total sales of its subsidiary OBI, which amounts to a rise of 6.0% in constant currency. The German market leader had 561 stores at year's end and operates in a further twelve countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, Croatia, Austria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Hungary. Having opened 24 new stores altogether last year, OBI lays claim to be Europe's most expansionary DIY retailer for the second year running.

Homebase is rumoured to be interested in some of the Homeform brands, which entered administration this week. The Home Retail Group-owned DIY chain, which has Homeform concessions within its stores, is interested in acquiring some of the group's brands which include Moben Kitchens, Dolphin Bathrooms and Kitchens Direct. Homeform owner Sun European Partners has already bought back the Sharps Bedrooms brand via a new company, but the remaining operations closed after administrators Deloitte were appointed, resulting in the loss of 557 jobs. The Home Retail Group acquired the brand rights and three London stores from Habitat last month after the furnishings retailer entered administration. The company also took on the Schreiber and Hygena brands after the collapse of MFI in 2008.

Kingfisher Group CEO Ian Cheshire has called for annual government-level talks to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. Delivering the keynote address at the Forest Stewardship Council's General Assembly in Malaysia Mr Cheshire said government-level talks should bring together the world's environment ministers to establish a roadmap for international cooperation and to secure the future of the world's forests. Kingfisher operates 330 B&Q stores in the UK and Ireland, selling more than 16,000 products containing wood, either as whole timber or as a constituent part. The company was a founding partner of the FSC in the early 1990s, and announced in February this year that it was the first major UK retailer to only buy timber products from proven responsible sources.

The 300 biggest retailers in the home improvement, hardware and building materials market in the USA achieved sales of US $185.83bn in 2010. This means that their total sales were up again for the first time since May 2006, namely by 2.78%. These figures were established by Home Channel News, a trade magazine. They also document the dominant position of market leader Home Depot (US $67.9bn) and Lowe's (US $48.8bn), which together account for 62.9% of total sales. Positioned third on the American market is Menards (US $8.3bn), a privately owned company that is active in the Mid-west.

EDRA and fediyma have announced they intend to stage joint congresses annually, alternating the European and Global events. The 2nd European Home Improvement Forum will take place next year at the Disneyland Convention Centre near Paris on 31 May until 1 June. 2013 will see the 2nd Global DIY Summit take place in Rome, Italy.

Now in its tenth year, the China International Hardware Show has grown into the world's second largest and Asia's largest and leading trade show for the entire hardware and DIY sectors. This unique show, taking place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on 21-23 September 2011, offers specialist traders and buyers around 2,100 exhibitors across 100,000m2. The trade fair includes Tools, DIY and Building Hardware, Security, Locks and Fittings with a comprehensive category of products and services in one of the largest markets in the world - China. For more information see the show's website: www.hardwareshow-china.com.

The DIY retail division of the Chilean Falalbella Group, Sodimac SA, recorded sales equivalent to US$ 1.129bn in the first quarter of this year. The company achieved double-digit rates of growth year-on-year in all the countries where it is actively involved. That is also true of the like-for-like results: 17.3% in Chile (sales of US$ 749m, 67 stores), 19.5% in Peru (US$ 92m, 16 stores), 25.6% in Argentina (US$ 42m, six stores) and 18.1% in Columbia (US$ 246m, 20 stores).

Almost 400 senior executives from 35 countries attended the 1st Global DIY Summit held in Brussels on 8-9 June. In particular they were privileged to witness the very emotional presentation of the 1st Global DIY Lifetime Award, presented to Pat Farrah, the co-founder of the Home Depot. First a truly brilliant laudation speech was delivered by Jack Truong, Vice President of 3M. So perfectly researched and executed, and so very befitting of a "giant" of our time who invented the "big box" DIY retailing that later enriched the lives of so many consumers around the globe. Farrah is a most honest, decent person and so it was no surprise that, choked with emotion, he quickly honoured the first buyer, Rick Mayo, who joined him in the new venture, the birth of The Home Depot. Farrah is passionate, enthusiastic and bursting with energy and, as the seemingly endless standing ovation portrayed, a most deserved recipient of this first global award.

EDRA is delighted to report that the spoga+gafa now takes place annually and this year it will be held from 4-6 September 2011 in Cologne, Germany. Spoga+gafa is the world's leading trade fair for the leisure and garden sector and last year the fair boasted a very high number of international exhibitors and visitors. The entire world of garden will be on show by about 1,700 suppliers from 53 countries divided into the following segments: garden creation, garden living, garden care, garden basic and garden unique. This year John Herbert and Cecilie Beyer from EDRA will also be attending spoga+gafa and offer all our members complimentary entry tickets. Moreover, EDRA will organize a store tour to garden centres in the Cologne area on Tuesday 6 September.

Deutsche Messe AG is further expanding its programme of events abroad. For the first time the company is to organise a trade fair for carpets and floor coverings in Moscow, to be held from 26-28 September 2012. The different sections of the exhibition include fitted carpets, parquet, laminate and natural stone, plus textile and resilient floor coverings.

The EDRA-fediyma 1st Global DIY Summit, taking place on 8-9 June in Brussels, will commence on 7 June with a store tour of the city. The tour will cover two Brico formats, a Hubo and a Gamma store, giving an insight into the newest emerging trends in the Belgian DIY-retail industry. For more information contact the organisers, the Conference Group, at: info@conferencegroup.de.

With its 66th annual event the 2011 National Hardware Show was a great success. The NHS is the place for manufacturers, associations and organizers worldwide to promote their new products and ideas within the home improvement industry. The show attracted an impressive list of global attendees representing almost $240bn in sales revenue. This sold-out event was attended by John Herbert and Cecilie Beyer from EDRA, who were present at the fair from 10-11 May, and EDRA members from Spain, Belgium and Turkey. As one of EDRA's Recommended Global Trade Fairs we offered our members entry passes and we organized a store tour in the Las Vegas area. Among others we visited Lowe's, the Home Depot, Walmart and Star Nursery. This picture was taken at the 3M stand at the NHS, from left to right is John Herbert (General Secretary, EDRA), Dr. Jack Truong (Vice President & General Manager, 3M), Patrick Farrah (co-founder of the Home Depot), Juan Jaen (CEO, Bricoking) and Murat Gigin (Chairman of the Board, Tekzen).

Homebase created its own show garden for the first time at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show this year, having partnered with Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust in 2010. The Tom Hoblyn creation, 'Cornish Memories', was rewarded with a Silver-Gilt medal. Meanwhile, B&Q bagged a Gold medal for its show garden. Featuring a nine-metre high tower, it was the tallest ever garden at the Chelsea Flower show and was designed by Laurie Chetwood and Patrick Collins to promote the idea of planting and producing your own food wherever you can.

If you haven't already registered for the EDRA-fediyma 1st Global DIY Summit, on 8-9 June in Brussels, you should sign up now. There are only three weeks left until this inaugural international event opens its doors to an anticipated 400 delegates, with 34 CEOs representing 26 countries already registered. With an incredible lineup of speaker for the Summit, including many industry top names such as Ian Cheshire (Kingfisher, UK), Régis Degelcke (Groupe ADEO, France and EDRA President), Gregory Bridgeford (Lowe's, USA), George Adams (Maxeda DIY BV, Netherlands), Michael Wedgwood (Bunnings, Australia), Robert Dutton (Rona Inc, Canada) and Sandro Solari (Sodimac SA, Chile), this event will truly be the highlight in the DIY industry calendar.

The newly elected president of the Worldwide DIY Council is Dr Jayne Seagrave, marketing director of the Vancouver Tool Corporation. She has taken over from Don Droesch, who retired from the executive of the association of North American manufacturers, on 1 May 2011.

UK home improvement chain Focus DIY has entered administration following unsuccessful talks between its owner Cerberus and potential buyer GA Europe. A statement was issued by the company to creditors saying that the directors at Focus have decided to file for administration following a credit default, "and a realisation that there were no alternatives". Ernst & Young have been appointed as administrators and are hoping to sell the business as a going concern. A £23m deal for the sale of up 31 stores has already been struck with Kingfisher to extend the B&Q portfolio and a further deal for 13 stores and all associated employees has been made with the Travis Perkins-owned DIY chain Wickes for £8.4m. Focus DIY's most recent financial statement revealed a 3% decline in turnover to £486.9m for the year to February 2010. The retailer operates from 175 stores across the UK and employs 3,920 staff.

EDRA, fediyma (the European Federation of DIY Manufacturers) and the Conference Group are pleased to announce that Patrick G. Farrah will be the first recipient of the 1st Global DIY Lifetime Award. The award will be presented during the EDRA-fediyma 1st Global DIY Summit 2011 in Brussels on 8-9 June. With a background in merchandising, Farrah started his own big box home improvement retailer called Homeco in the late 70s, which was a pioneering format at the time. He went on to co-found the Home Depot, which became the world's leading home improvement retailer achieving a turnover of $67.997bn in 2010 and now with 2200 stores.

On 1 April Start, the Russian DIY retailer, closed a deal on purchasing 5 "Domovoy" stores in Saint Petersburg. Now JSC "Start Management Company" operates 11 stores with a total area of 67,000 m2 located in five cities: Saint-Petersburg (6) Chelyabinsk (2), Samara, Voronezh and Ufa and also a cross-docking center in Podolsk (near Moscow). The consolidated revenue for these 11 stores is over $150m.

The new president of Bricoalliance, an international purchasing organisation, is Jeroen Lauwers. He succeeds Jan Van de Mierop, who had held the position since the group was established in 2006. Bricoalliance, which is headquartered in Wommelgem, Belgium, is a cooperative of seven DIY retailers: Bricogroup and Bricoking in Spain, Izi in Portugal and Spain, Hubo in Belgium, Puntolegno in Italy, Nomi in Poland and Multimate in the Netherlands. Together they have 370 stores and combined sales of around €1.0576bn. Jeroen Lauwers has worked in the DIY industry for ten years. He is moving from Scala Plastics, where he was managing director from 2006. Prior to that he worked in the same position at Eglo Leuchten, Belgium.