Sales at Amazon.co.uk indicate a new trend in bank holi-DIY-ing, where homeowners influenced by television programmes such as Grand Designs and DIY SOS, look to ‘improve, not move’.
In the lead up to the May bank holiday, Amazon.co.uk has seen year on year uplifts in sales of the following:
- Sledgehammers saw a 73% increase as Brits knock through walls to extend rooms in the manner of Kirsty Allsop
- Welding equipment sales are up by 74% with heavy duty DIY to be done
- Insulation supplies are up 60%, helping homeowners keep energy bills as low as possible
- Overalls and dust mask sales have risen by 42% and 58% respectively as people get kitted out for the job
- Plastering tools are up 37%, transforming walls and ceilings
- Handsaws are up 33% alongside chainsaws which have seen a 19% sales increase indicating a rise in at home carpentry and tree felling
“Bank holidays have long been associated with DIY but the move from painting and decorating to products for larger scale renovations indicates an intention to make the most of what we’ve got,” commented Xavier Garambois, Vice President of EU Retail at Amazon. “It seems that homeowners are looking to make savings on home improvements by undertaking the work themselves.”
“A traditional British bank holiday weekend consists of a barbeque, rainy weather and a spot of DIY,” commented James Bate, Home Improvement Store at Amazon.co.uk. “This weekend, however, we expect to see men and women up and down the UK taking up tools and transforming their homes. No longer limited to Changing Rooms, the nation has Grand Designs on its houses.”