"Forget the excuses!"

Thierry Coeman: There were several reasons. On my trips abroad I have met countless leaders of DIY store chains. In every conversation with them, whether in Brussels, Berlin or New York, I have learned that most have been thinking hard about the future development of their store concept. As to the essential question regarding their positioning with a view to the world of tomorrow, they do not appear to have found an answer. It seems to me that this absence of a solution has created a paradoxical situation: on the one hand an eagerness to anticipate the future, and on the other a desire to preserve the existing model at any price.
In parallel with this, the pandemic and the acceleration of e-commerce significantly influenced the decision to write "Hammertime" with one essential motivating factor: to propose a framework that delivers fragmentary answers through an intellectual structure and a personal vision of the future.

Three types of players have shown me the correct way of doing this. Scientists have shown me how to write an essay, especially where the narrative structure is concerned; a number of "captains of retail" have acted above all as constructive critics; and my family has been unremitting in its support.

"Hammertime" is not conceived as a book. It is an invitation to become active through reflection, thus an intellectual and strategic exercise. The text addresses the decision makers who will redefine the business model of the future. "Hammertime" considers a range of topics in a manner that is occasionally thought-provoking, but always pragmatic:Let's dispense with all the excuses. Let's look up from the drawing board and observe how society is evolving.
Let us understand once and for all that it isn't our job to sell utensils or stack boxes on our shelves to steer a flow of customers towards the tills.Let us recognise the impact of Covid on DIY and grasp the new opportunities that are presented to us.
Let us dare to venture off the beaten path and explore the options of a symbiosis between B2C and B2B.
Let us reinvent the principle of partnership with suppliers and embark on the search for a new profile of the working relationship between supply and demand.
Let us replace the principle of SKUs per square metre with a revolutionary service concept.
Let's forget the amusing videos, shown repeatedly on various platforms, about the high-tech universes that do not…