Global DIY Summit: Industry Leaders Map Out a Sector in Rapid Transition
- Daley Hub Team
- Jun 23
- 6 min read
3 days – 1,204 delegates – 15 speakersTheme: Accelerating in a New Global RealityBuilding collective awareness for a fast-changing world
Professionals from across the DIY and home improvement industry gathered for the 12th time with a shared purpose: to learn, share experiences, challenge thinking, and help shape the future of the sector.
Held in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) a country with a population of 18m, ownership of 24m bikes and 37,000Km of bike lanes. They have seen a 15% decline in store numbers but only a 4% decline in store space….bigger shops!
This year’s summit also carried a sense of transition and reflection. The community said farewell to long-serving figures whose contributions have helped define the industry’s collaborative foundations.
A major moment of recognition was given to John W Herbert, EDRA/GHIN General Secretary, who steps down after 22 years with EDRA and as one of its co-founders. A standing ovation from the crowd and definitely not a dry eye in the house. His impact was acknowledged across the global DIY community, with the organisation noting: “Your impact has been felt across the global community and your dedication has helped drive our industry forward.” In characteristically light fashion, John’s response: “Everything comes to an end except a sausage.”
Looking ahead, Michel Salaun ADEO Corporate Development Director, who will succeed John as General Secretary of EDRA/GHIN, described the “road ahead as exciting” and emphasized his intention to build on the strong foundation established over the past decades.
The summit also marked a transition in leadership, as Thierry Garnier, was recognised for his instrumental role in launching the Scope 3 “Make It Zero” initiative. His successor, now EDRA President Erwin Van Osta, stressed the importance of collaboration: “It’s about teamwork and finding solutions to complex challenges. Our ability to come together, share experiences and make stronger business through collaboration.”
He also introduced the new President of HIMA, Caroline Van der Voort, who paid tribute to outgoing leader Reinhard Wolff and highlighted HIMA’s role representing 1,000 manufacturers across Europe during its 25th anniversary year. She emphasized that her role is rooted in collaboration: “My role is to help bring voices together – don’t do this alone – Make it Zero – Make it matter.”
Finally, attendees were introduced to Alexandre Laubie the new Managing Director of the Global DIY Summit, marking another step in the event’s ongoing evolution.
The first speaker was Dr Ira Kalish, Chief Global Economist at Deloitte, set the tone for the event with a sobering overview of the forces likely to shape the months and years ahead. Inflationary pressure may remain more persistent than many expect. Energy supply constraints, ongoing food production volatility, and housing affordability challenges are all interconnected forces shaping household spending.
He commented that interest rates were rising across the world with tighter monetary policies, so even if the conflicts were to settle soon it would take time to get back to pre conflict levels. Worryingly he highlighted the recent impact on fertilizer supplies that would affect crop yields but we would only see this in food inflation in 10 months time.
For DIY retailers, the implication is straightforward: discretionary spending remains under pressure. Higher living costs reduce the flexibility consumers have for home improvement projects, while weaker housing affordability continues to delay home ownership in many markets.
The result is a customer base that is either delaying, downsizing, or rethinking projects entirely placing increased importance on value, guidance, and confidence at the point of purchase.
Against this backdrop, Joost De Deijter, CEO of Intergamma, focused on how retailers can still grow by eliminating customer friction rather than relying on market expansion.
His central argument was that winning retailers are those who deeply understand the barriers preventing purchase decisions and systematically removing them.
In paint, for example, the biggest challenge is not product availability but choice overload. Intergamma addressed this by developing its own colour systems, investing in mixing technology, and strengthening in-store expertise through specialist training. The result is a more guided and confident customer journey.
In window coverings, measurement uncertainty is a major barrier to purchase. By introducing measurement support and structured training, the company reduced hesitation and increased conversion, while also taking share from specialist providers.
The message was consistent: “growth comes from solving real customer problems, not adding more product complexity”.
Artificial intelligence featured prominently throughout the summit, but the tone was practical rather than speculative. Intergamma showcased how AI is already embedded in retail operations, from digital product assistance to in-store navigation tools that help customers locate items more efficiently. These systems reduce friction and improve conversion by making large, complex stores easier to navigate.
Elsewhere, Jean-Jacques Van Oosten explored the broader transformation of retail through AI, marketplaces, and digital ecosystems, while Patricia Grundmann highlighted the growing importance of retail media as a driver of personalised engagement.
A common theme emerged: AI is not replacing retail fundamentals, but enhancing them—improving discovery, decision-making, and relevance at scale.
However, Dr Kalish raised a longer-term concern: if AI and automation reduce entry-level hiring, businesses may face challenges in developing future leaders. Workforce development strategies may need to evolve alongside technology adoption.
Consumer behaviour expert Ken Hughes focused on a structural shift in the customer landscape, particularly among younger demographics.
He identified an emerging consumer profile “the Zillennial 87-02”, sitting between Gen Z and Millenials and identified them as delaying home ownership as they don’t leave home until the age of 27 vs 22 back in the 80’s, spending longer in rental accommodation (renters spend spend 5 times less on their home than those who own per annum), and prioritising flexibility over permanence. This creates a growing mismatch between traditional DIY retail models built around homeowners—and a customer base that is less likely to own property.
He said unlocking the rental spend is key to the future growth in DIY.
The opportunity, he argued, lies in redefining DIY for a more transient generation. Products and services must adapt to renters who want to personalise spaces without permanent changes, including modular, reversible and low-commitment solutions. He also highlighted a broader behavioural shift: inspiration and emotional engagement are becoming as important as functional product information. Technology and AI, he suggested, will play a growing role in delivering that inspiration at scale. Our physical and online stores need to change from transformational to inspiratonal, so that they can see possibilities not products.
In summary, build inspirational store experiences, harness Ai tools and unlock rental spend is where growth lies for DIY.
Ed Sander’s analysis of Temu illustrated the speed at which global marketplaces are reshaping retail competition. He described a rapid evolution from a highly centralised, fully managed model to more flexible semi-managed approaches, including local logistics partnerships and supplier integration strategies. This shift has enabled aggressive international expansion and extremely competitive pricing structures.
He explained their 3 phase approach, Fast Penetration with heavy subsidies and advertising, followed by local logistics and an expanding of the assortment, to where they are now in 2026 phase 3, Brands with improved quality and compliance.
For traditional DIY retailers, the challenge is significant. Competing on price alone becomes increasingly difficult in a marketplace environment where scale and supply chain optimisation are heavily centralised. The implication is that differentiation must increasingly come from trust, service, convenience, and expertise rather than cost.
Temu are here to make a difference, their aim to beocome the #2 in the US (after Amazon) and #1 in Europe)
Dan Starr, CEO of Do it Best and True Value, reinforced this point from a legacy retail perspective, emphasising that trust remains the most valuable and defensible asset in retail. In an environment of rising digital competition, trust becomes the foundation for long-term customer relationships.
Sumeet Anand highlighted India as both a growing consumer market and a strategic sourcing hub. With sustained economic growth over several decades and a rapidly expanding middle class, India is expected to become a major global retail force within the next five years. At the same time, government investment is supporting manufacturing capacity expansion, positioning the country as a more significant player in global supply chains.
However, success in this market is not purely transactional. Cultural understanding, relationship-building, and long-term commitment remain essential for effective collaboration. The broader takeaway was that global growth opportunities increasingly require both operational agility and cultural intelligence.
Sustainability was presented less as a standalone initiative and more as an integrated part of retail value propositions. Intergamma demonstrated how energy-saving and water-efficient products are now driving a meaningful share of sales, supported by consumer demand for cost-saving and environmentally responsible solutions.
In addition, initiatives such as waste reduction guidance and renewable energy investments in-store show how sustainability is being embedded into both operations and customer engagement. Rather than being a compliance requirement, sustainability is increasingly aligned with customer value, saving money, reducing waste, and improving efficiency.
Conclusion:
Across all sessions, a unifying theme emerged: the DIY industry is navigating multiple simultaneous transformations.
Economic pressure is reshaping demand. AI is changing how customers discover and decide. Digital marketplaces are intensifying global competition. Consumer demographics are shifting toward renters and younger, more flexible lifestyles. At the same time, sustainability expectations and global sourcing opportunities are evolving rapidly.
Yet despite the scale of change, the underlying message from the summit was not pessimistic.
Retailers that succeed will be those who simplify complexity for customers, invest in trust and expertise, embrace technology pragmatically, and adapt their offer to new definitions of home and ownership.
In an industry defined by change, the winners will be those who treat change not as disruption, but as a constant operating condition.
