Don’t panic

For this regional report, let's focus on the market leader of the Belgium DIY market. Especially since it's a very fitting time: on the day of our interview, the new managing director has been in office for precisely 100 days - a period which is often used for initial observations and analyses, maybe even a more deeper reflection on the implementation of measures in an economic context in which industry results are more volatile. According to GfK namely, they were -8.6 per cent in March, or in contrast, +1 per cent in April.

"Let's have a closer look at the quarterly figures: with regard to the economic context and the moods of our industry, we are more dependent on the factor of inflation and on the export rate - two parameters which have a positive impact on a conclusive result.
When looking to the future, in particular the uncertainty factor of weather puts a spoke in our wheels season after season. The only way of counteracting this risk is to encourage larger DIY projects rather than ad hoc DIYing. The positioning of the product range in our retail brands Brio Plan-It, Brico, Brico City and the inner-city outlets is in line with this trend. At the end of April, Brico's sales are clearly in the plus range, and even with 0.3 percentage points more market share in an overall market which has grown by 0.1 per cent."

How can the position of market leader be defended in an environment that has never been so competitive in an area in which the offer of DIY product ranges is omnipresent in other distribution channels?
"Above all, don't panic or keep changing your mind. My role as the person responsible for breaking down Maxeda's politics and strategy to Belgian conditions can be summarised in three key terms: focus, service and choice - a challenge which, at the same time, is both simple and complex to take on. The arrival of the category killers doesn't unnerve me.
Take the example of a Kärcher pressure washer which was purchased from a discounter for the lowest price on the market. The consumer quickly notices that an essential attachment is missing and comes to our stores, because the product range and therefore also the choice is much greater.
Incidentally, DIYing has never been more easily possible than it is today, and that is mainly thanks to YouTube. More than ever before, Brico's motto is to promote the aspect of convenience. Therefore we choose suppliers who suggest a wealth of solutions to…