Building, interiors, renovating and decorating, repairs and maintenance, gardens and animals and handicrafts - there's no one all-encompassing rubric that really describes all these areas of activity

Sometimes we use the terms "DIY" or "home improvement" or "building supplies business", but none are really spot on.
These are the designations we use to refer to our sector, which comprises a very broad spectrum of product ranges that are marketed via very different sales channels.
Measured in its full scope, the overall market in Germany has a volume of slightly less than €100 billion, and in the more limited market environment featuring classic DIY centre and garden centre products, a volume of approx. €40 billion is a realistic estimate. A significant share of this volume is accounted for by the turnover of the large-scale DIY centre trade. Between 1977 and 2007, the number of outlets in this segment have increased eleven fold, from 400 to roughly 4,300 stores. These customers of BAU+DIY member companies traditionally gather at trade fairs such as the International Hardware Fair/Practical World. In terms of these product ranges, the German trade has been steadily but quietly consolidating for the last 40 years, although this development has attracted little attention. About 50 companies have ceased operations on this market during this same period (for various reasons, including insolvency, acquisition by new owners or withdrawal from the market).

In terms of its effect on trade fair participation, the exit of these 50 companies from the market corresponds to the absence of at least 50 managing directors or CEOs, 50 heads of purchasing, and between 200 and 300 purchasing department managers and their teams and responsible personnel. In addition, purchasing activities have been consolidated by means of cooperatives - including Arena, Toomax, Coopernic, and DiyCo, to name just a few. This means the aforementioned business contacts, which formerly numbered approx. 1,000 decision-makers, have been displaced and reduced to only a relative few persons.
In which areas are we achieving growth today? Dealers in Germany are posting growth mainly with their activities abroad. And the same applies to the business development of most sector manufacturers; performance on the domestic market is lacklustre, but in some cases double-digit growth rates are being recorded abroad.
BAU+DIY fully approves of Koelnmesse's initiatives. The enhancement of the International Hardware Fair by means of its cooperation with the Bilbao Exhibition Centre creates an annual trade fair calendar with appeal for participants from all over Europe.
A solution-oriented approach, a focus on meeting project needs, and products designed to satisfy the consumer are the mainstays of the sector's German manufacturers today. FEDIYMA, a European suppliers federation, recently addressed this point by releasing a very topical 14-country study titled "Fediyma Consumer Report 2007" (see enclosure). In light of these developments, we support the opening of the Practical World part of the fair to end consumers.
In addition, Practical World Asia also enables us to establish contact with partners operating in our Asian procurement and sales markets. And here as well, Koelnmesse is moving forward in a pioneering manner.
The widespread reputation of high-quality products "made in Germany" and this country's full calendar of trade fairs help the sectors' German manufacturers to market their products. This is where Koelnmesse is playing a key role today - and where it will continue to be essential in the future.

Herstellervereinigung BAU + DIY e.V.
Gothaer Str. 27
40880 Ratingen - Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 21 02 - 168 96-0
Fax: +49 (0) 21 02 - 168 96-20
e-mail: info@bau-und-diy.de
www.bau-und-diy.de