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.

Never before have so many CEOs from Home Improvement Retailers attended an industry event. Over 30 CEOs from 25 countries have already registered for the 1st Global DIY Summit 2011, taking place at the Square - Brussels Meeting Centre in Brussels, Belgium, on 8-9 June, with more anticipated. For any retailers or suppliers interested in international trade and networking this is the event of the year. For more information contact the organisers, The Conference Group, on +49 (0) 697 595 3022 or info@conferencegroup.de.

The Board and Management of EDRA are delighted to announce that TEKZEN, the Turkish home improvement chain, has become a member of EDRA's Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN) with immediate effect. Founded in 1995 under the title of a Turkish-German partnership GÖTZEN as the pioneer in its industry, TEKZEN continues its activities under the title of TEKZEN and with 100% Turkish capital. The company has expanded rapidly and now operates 47 stores and 11 express stores in 27 cities, including five stores in Romania. TEKZEN is the eleventh member of GHIN and brings the total number of EDRA members to 31 representing a total of 91 home centre companies (excluding parent companies) operating in 48 countries.

B&Q operations director Martyn Phillips has been promoted to the new role of CEO for B&Q UK and Ireland with immediate effect. He will report to Kingfisher UK and Ireland CEO Euan Sutherland, who previously held the B&Q CEO role but has now taken on additional commercial responsibilities across the Kingfisher network, leading him to reorganise his senior team. Mr Phillips has been with Kingfisher for 17 years.

Last month EDRA members spent two successful days in Brussels meeting some of the industry's most important politicians. This included positive talks with Europe's Climate Change Commissioner about energy efficiency and how the home improvement sector could help householders reduce their monthly bills while contributing to fighting climate change. Over dinner EDRA and Fediyma were joined by five leading European parliamentarians who were interested in getting to know the sector in more depth. There is a big debate in Brussels currently about limiting retailer power, through regulation of "unfair contracts". The event was successful in its aims of showing that the home improvement industry is different, demonstrating that the retailers and suppliers can work together and of building close links with the MEPs. This was a good start for EDRA in Brussels but now the real work begins.

The National Hardware Show will attract over 18,000 buyers and retailers and is designed to give you access to the latest products, product introductions, trends and education helping gain the advantage over your competition. John Herbert, EDRA General Secretary, will be present at the trade fair and is organising a store tour on 9 May to see the latest developments in USA home centre retailing and also visiting other exciting retailing concepts in the Las Vegas area. A special dinner will be held for EDRA members on Tuesday evening, 10 May 2011. If you or any of your executives would like to visit the NHS Show in Las Vegas and take part in the Store Tour and/or EDRA dinner, please contact EDRA as soon as possible.

At a gala evening hosted in Vienna, the Essl Social Prize 2011 was presented by siblings Martin and Gerda Essl to Almaz and Karlheinz Böhm for their unprecedented work in Ethiopia through their organization Menschen für Menschen (people for people). The €1m prize money will be used for a development project focusing on solar energy in the Washa-catchment. The Washa-catchment area is part of the new project area of Ginde Beret, approximately 180km north of Addis Ababa, which, due to its isolated location, is not connected to the power grid. It covers some 70km2 with 10,000 residents who will benefit from the prize.

Over 16,000 visitors from 80 countries attended this year's Ferroforma-Bricoforma hardware and DIY fair. The show opened with a new format, featuring almost 600 international exhibitors and a highly participative programme of activities. By the close of the 4-day event, 16,275 visitors from a total of 80 countries from all over the world had walked through the halls of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC). In all, the number of foreign visitors was up by 10%.

EDRA and fediyma (the European Federation of DIY Manufacturers) in conjunction with the Conference Group will be holding the largest ever global event of its kind for the home improvement industry on 8-9 June 2011. Taking place at the spectacular new congress centre "the Square" in Brussels, Belgium, the event is entitled "One World - What will shape the future of home improvement worldwide" and a "full house" of 500 executives, both retailers and suppliers from all over the globe, are expected to attend. With an excellent lineup of speakers and the presentation of the 1st Global DIY Lifetime Award, for any company who is operating internationally in the home centre industry either as a retailer or as a supplier, the 1st Global DIY Summit is a "must go to" event. More details and a complete programme can be found on our homepage at www.edra-online.org.

After the help that EDRA members were able to provide to Chile after the earthquake last year, we now have an appeal from a Japanese home centre company, Komeri, who, following the earthquake and tsunami there, has lost four stores, has seven flooded stores, 20 stores which they cannot open and 200 stores that have suffered damage. Komeri are appealing for a supply of OSB (Oriented Strand Board): 1. OSB (Canadian OSB) Species: Aspen, Lodgepole pine, Birch Adhesive: Phenolic Adhesive, F-four star (Japanese standard = formaldehyde-free) Origin: Canada Size(mm):W910 x L1820 x T9mm W910 x L1820 x T11mm *On its surface (one face), OSB must have the stamp respectively as you can see in the photo, right. 2. OSB (Poland OSB) Species: Red pine, Kind : Pinus densiflora Adhesive: Isocyanate adhesive, F-four star (Japanese standard = formaldehyde-free) Origin: Poland Size(mm): W910 x L1820 x T9mm W910 x L1820 x T11mm If you can help with this please get in touch directly with Mr Yuichiro Sasage, President & COO Komeri Co., Ltd at: y-sasage8@komeri.bit.or.jp.

On 26-27 May the DIY and Household Retail summit will take place for the fifth time, in Moscow. A unique platform for solving the problems of the industry and its players, every year this event finds new ways to develop and attracts an ever larger number of participants, including both global chains and suppliers in addition to new regional retailers. For more information download the brochure here: http://diyretail.ru/brochure.php.

EuroShop 2011 was a great success and as the leading international investment goods fair for retail it attracted more than 2,000 exhibitors from 53 countries and during its five days of running welcomed 106,000 visitors. Among others, the Home Depot visited the fair with executives from USA, Canada and Mexico, Epicenter K from Ukraine attended the fair and also companies from Russia such as Trest SCM were present.

Fourth-quarter earnings at Lowe's increased 39% to $285m, as sales increased for the quarter and the year. The North Carolina-based home improvement giant reported fourth quarter sales of $10.5 bn, up 2.9% from the prior-year quarter. For the full year ended 28 January, sales increased 3.4% to $48.8 bn and net earnings increased 12.7% to $2.0 bn. At the end of the quarter, Lowe's operated 1,749 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico representing 197.1m square feet of retail selling space, a 2.0% increase over last year. The company expects to open 25 to 30 stores in 2011.

In 2010 BYGGmax, the Swedish DIY retail chain, achieved sales of SEK 2.773 bn, or 13.5% (2.7% like-for-like) more than the previous year. The company opened twelve stores over the course of the year, five each in Sweden and Norway and two in Finland, so that the total number of outlets amounted to 73 at the end of December. Plans are for the addition of 12 to 15 more stores during this current year, six of them in Sweden, three to five in Norway and three or four in Finland. BYGGmax also intends to further develop the company's online business, which was launched in 2010.

Rona, a Canadian home improvement and builders' merchant group, has reported sales of C $ 4.7999 bn in its last financial year (to 26 December 2010), which amounts to a 2.6% increase year-on-year. Sales remained unchanged in same-store terms. The retail and commercial segment accounted for a total of C $ 3.6244 bn, or an increase of 2.4%. The trade segment saw growth of 3.4% to C $ 1.1755 bn. "We now have a market share of 19%, compared with 17.5% at the beginning of the year, and are aiming for our 20% target by the end of 2011," said Robert Dutton, president and CEO.

The National Hardware Show will take pace once again at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 10-12 May 2011. This ‘EDRA recommended global trade fair’ comprises nine shows in one, guaranteeing new discoveries in every category, every year. Attracting a worldwide audience of more than 27,000 industry professionals, the show offers hardware & tools, lawn & garden world, paints, plumbing & electrical, storage, tailgate products, inventors spotlight, international sourcing and homewares. It is the place 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 General Secretary, John Herbert, who will be attending the fair, said, “An annual trade fair centring on the North American Market. 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.”

Ferroforma-Bricoforma '11 will be taking place on 23-26 March in Bilbao. The show represents an unprecedented unique comprehensive offer in the world of Spanish exhibitions, which covers all business opportunities and needs as regards information, supply and service for the hardware and DIY trades. Almost 500 exhibitors from 26 countries have registered for the trade fair which offers an impressively international range of products, with 51% coming from outside of Spain.

Totally shows organiser Brintex has confirmed another successful show, with 6,116 visitors flocking to Birmingham's NEC from 6-8 February. The (unaudited) number shows a decline on last year's 9,372 visitors. However, this year there was no direct cross-over point with Spring Fair, unlike last year when visitors could walk between the two shows, creating a lot of 'passing through' traffic.

Leading Austrian DIY retailer bauMax has reported strong results for the 2010 fiscal year. Turnover for the whole company was €1.5bn, an increase of 7%. BauMax Austria achieved sales of €640m, an increase of 4%. The company ended the year with 10,700 employees in 149 stores in nine countries; Austria (67), Czech Republic (24), Slovakia (15), Hungary (15), Slovenia (3), Croatia (6), Romania (13), Bulgaria (4) and Turkey (2).

British home improvement chain Kingfisher, the European DIY market leader, completed its financial year (to 29 January 2011) with a sales increase (in constant currency) of 0.5% to £10.450bn, equating to -0.5% once exchange fluctuations are taken into consideration, and -0.9% in like-for-like (lfl) terms. In France the UK group recorded sales of £4.204bn, 2.9% (constant currency) more than in the previous financial year; there was also an increase of 1.6% lfl. In Great Britain and Ireland the company recorded a sales decline of 2.4% to £4.333bn (-3.0% lfl). Sales in the other countries experienced an increase of £1.913bn or 1.7% (-1.2% lfl).

Start, the Russian home improvement chain, will become a member of EDRA with immediate effect. Operated by JSC, Start was founded in 2006 and operates six DIY hypermarkets in Saint-Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Samara, Voronezh and Ufa with a total area of 40,000 sq.m, carrying a product range of 55,000 SKUs with a turnover of approximately $70m. Start is the fourth member of EDRA’s Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN) from Russia and brings the total number of EDRA members to 30 representing a total of 90 home centre companies (excluding parent companies) operating in 48 countries.

The American home improvement chain and the global No. 2 in the DIY retail industry, Lowe's, will become a member of EDRA with effect from 1 February 2011. Lowe's operates 1,725 home improvement stores across the United States, Canada and Mexico and reported sales of $47.2bn in 2009. Lowe's is the first member of EDRA's Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN) from North America and brings the total number of EDRA members to 29 representing a total of 89 home centre companies (excluding parent companies) operating in 48 countries.

Domotex received more than 70,000 visitors from 87 countries in Hanover last month and was also well attended by EDRA Members. As a partner of the EDRA Recommended Global Trade Fairs, EDRA had members from 22 companies present, many of them attending the trade fair for the very first time. A dinner was hosted for members at the Radisson Blu adjacent to the trade fair and a store tour was organised by EDRA taking the members to Bauhaus, OBI, Hornbach and the specialist store Kibek.

IPM trade fair was a huge success this year with around 60,000 visitors and 1,508 exhibitors from 47 countries. John Herbert and Cecilie Beyer from EDRA attended IPM from 25-28 January. As one of EDRA's Recommended Global Trade Fairs, our members were offered special entry passes and a dinner and a store tour was organised. We are pleased to announce that EDRA brought 47 buyers to the trade fair from 12 different countries. Moreover, 11 people joined us for dinner and we arranged a tour to see garden centres in the area around Essen. We went to Schlößer in Moers, OBI in Düsseldorf-Rath, Schley in Ratingen and finally to Dehner garden centre in Witten. As one member from Estonia who went to the IPM for the first time said " the visit was much more than we expected!" The partnership between EDRA and our recommended global trade fairs has been very well received by our members.

Total sales for the second quarter of A$2.0 billion were up 4.8% on the previous corresponding period. Total store sales for the second quarter grew 4.7%, while store-on-store growth was 2.4%. For the first half of the 2011 financial year, total sales were up 4.4% to A$3.5 billion and total store sales grew 4.1%. John Gillam, Managing Director, said significant work is continuing on enhancing the customer experience, network expansion and business improvement: “The business is in a good position to continue to deliver sales growth, with solid progress having been made in further strengthening our three strategic pillars of price, range and service,” Mr Gillam said. During the first half 13 new stores and 3 new trade centres were opened.

Annette Verschuren, president of Home Depot Canada, is leaving the company after 15 years. Effective Jan. 31, she will be replaced by Aaron Carmack, who is moving over from his current role as regional vice-president of Home Depot's U.S. Pacific North region.

The Austrian DIY retailer Baumax has carried out an organisational reorientation of its procurement departments. Building/technology is being managed by Werner Moser, who was most recently head of international buying for the area of technology. Jörg Bierlein, who was involved in setting up Baumax in Romania and Turkey, is taking on the home section. Clemens Bauer, who previously worked for Henkel, Scotts Celaflor and 3M, is responsible for the garden section. Central buying remains under the direction of Josef Wagner.

The Kesko Group's sales in December 2010, excluding VAT, totalled €832.1m, an increase of 7.9%. In the building and home improvement trade, sales in December were €181.9m, an increase of 18.1%. Sales in Finland were up by 22.5%. Sales abroad increased by 14.5% in terms of euros and by 8.4% in terms of local currencies. In the Baltic countries, sales were up by 10.2%. In Russia, sales increased by 28.7% in terms of euros and by 19.4% in terms of the local currency.

Turnover in 2010 for the Grafton Group reached €2bn, compared with €1.98bn in 2009. The Group has reported a 3% increase in merchanting sales for the year, while its DIY retailing business saw a 7% decline. UK merchant operations, which includes Buildbase, Plumbase and Selco brands saw a 7% sales jump to €1.32bn. Meanwhile, declines in Irish merchanting slowed slightly, with a 7% decline in the second half of the year, compared with a 16% drop in H1. The retailing side of the business, which includes Woodie's DIY and Atlantic Homecare in Ireland, saw sales fall 7% in 2010, while turnover in Grafton's manufacturing division dropped 4%. Grafton has also reached an outline agreement with Travis Perkins to acquire 10 of its plumbing and heating branches in England and Wales.

Nearly two thirds of retail outlets expect retail sales to worsen next year compared with 2010 but still plan to invest in and create more jobs throughout the year. According to the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) Retail Prospects for 2011 snapshot, just 18% of retailers expect an improvement in sales next year. However, despite fears of a decline, 47% of firms plan to create jobs in 2011.

A new DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) consultation sees a proposal for peat use in all horticulture sectors to be eventually phased out. This includes proposals for the Government and public sector to be peat free by 2015, the retail market for amateur gardening by 2020 and the professional horticulture sector by 2030. According to the consultation document more than two thirds of all the peat used in the UK is used by amateur gardeners. Many retailers, including Aylett Nurseries, B&Q, Homebase and Sainsbury's, are already working towards phasing out all or the majority of peat sales in their stores. B&Q is currently 55% peat free in its bagged growing media products.

Zeus (Zentrale für Einkauf und Service), a German cooperative organisation, is passing into the ownership of Hagebau, a building materials and DIY retail cooperative, on 1 January 2013 at the latest. The other two current partners, EK Servicegroup and EDE, have terminated their cooperation agreement with Hagebau effective 31 December 2012. The core retail business, for example the servicing of the Hagebaumarkt stores, is to be bundled and expanded in Soltau, where Hagebau has its headquarters.

Home Depot has launched an online “how-to” community where do-it-yourselfers can discuss home improvement projects and share their expertise with other members. The how-to community features a number of experienced Home Depot store associates from around the country who are prepared to help consumers with their home repair projects. Discussions are organized in categories such as paint, tools and hardware, garden and yard, do-it-yourself and repair. The community also features a “Meet Our Experts” section that spotlights the community's store associates; a “What's New in Our Aisles” section highlights new products.

COMEOS/the Belgium DIY Association (BDA) will become a member of EDRA with effect from the 1 January 2011. Comeos represents 18 retail sectors including DIY and garden, food, fashion and toys. The DIY and Garden sector includes, among others, Aveve, Brico, Hubo, Gamma and Mr Bricolage. Together these companies form the Belgium DIY and Garden Association, which organises activities for retailers and suppliers. These companies represent more than 80% of the total Belgian DIY Retail market (in GfK terms).

Pierre Dandoy, formerly evp retail operations for RONA, is no longer with the company. Just last year, he had been put in charge of all RONA corporate stores, including proximity and big box operations. His departure reflects a major re-organization of RONA's management of its stores nationwide, which will now become more regionally focused with a network of regional vice-presidents.

On 9 May 2011, the day before the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, the Worldwide DIY Council (the American manufacturers' association) holds its annual meeting bringing together a number of top-class speakers. The meeting will be complemented by a global business conference and among others EDRA General Secretary John Herbert will be the keynote speaker. The final address will be given by Tom Barfell who is the director of international sales and category development for the hardware retailer Do it Best.