The DIY revolution: The case of Timberland

In the UK, per capita expenditure in the DIY market is particularly high, accounting in fact for over a quarter of the European total. And it is an expanding market. The growth of the home improvement centre has been even more dramatic. But even though heavy price‐cutting and low margins have been characteristic features, there are now signs that the emphasis is swinging away from price and more to choice and service. In this special feature David Kirby looks first at the DIY market as a whole, and then specifically at one of its most thrusting and energetic companies — the Scottish‐based Timberland (with outlets also in England). Currently with 75 stores and a turnover of £14m, they have recently opened a 24,000 sq ft Home Improvement Centre at Kilmarnock.