DIY trade in Austria: Oversaturated

DIY stores in Austria increased their sales in 2005 by 2.3 per cent to € 2.282 bn, according to figures from Regioplan Consulting in Vienna. The retail area is put at 1.3 mio m² (up 290 000 m²). But industry experts are expressing some scepticism regarding these statistics, on account among other things of the differentiation between this and other distribution channels. Regioplan states that DIY store density in Austria is one of the highest in the world, with one store per 11 000 inhabitants, and that the market is oversaturated. Expansion is taking place almost exclusively in Eastern Europe.