French DIY sales contracted in May

In France, DIY sales contracted in May for the first time since April 2020. Home improvement retailers saw a drop of 7.04 per cent in sales compared with the same month last year. This was revealed by the FMB association, citing Banque de France data. With the exception of November 2020 (5.57 per cent), monthly growth rates have been in at least double digits for a year, rising to triple-digit growth in March (143.66 per cent) and April (221.45 per cent), resulting from the lockdown in the previous year.
The association believes there are two reasons for the decline in May: the poor weather and the easing of restrictions on going out, which gave households alternative consumption options. The results are positive compared with 2019, however, and DIY stores could count on a more than favourable trend, says the FMB.