B&Q

[Dave Plowman (News)]

That does tend to be the problem. ;-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And it has taken B&Q this long to discover that? But how come the Homebase opposite still exists? Given their chequered past?

Or are you just banging your same tired old gong?

Think about it. If house prices are so high you have to struggle to buy, even more reason to save money by DIY.

Not sure this B&Q was even built in 2004.

[spuorgelgoog]

A £30oddk mortgage assumes approaching a £20k deposit. That's not easy to save when renting.

And I don't think people in casual employment / zero hours contracts find it easy to get a mortgage.

I think also people are more inclined to rent, and spend their money on shiny toys, on the assumption that they can't afford to buy. They probably could if they scrimped and saved and lived with the in-laws, but some people have different priorities.

Owain

[John_j]

That assumes that its possible to buy something to DIY. That is far less often the case now than when you did that.

[Theo]

This is a bit of a theme. Our Wickes has closed to be turned into a second Aldi, while Homebase across the road has chopped its shed in half and the other bit is a... Lidl.

We still have 0.5 Homebases, B&Q, TS x2, SF x3 (if you include the one in the middle of nowhere near a yet to be built suburb), TLC, QVS, CEF, TP x2, Jewson, Ridgeons x2, etc etc so can't complain too much :)

Theo

[Bob Eager]

We have an Aldi a mile away next to Morrisons, Lidl (soon to be) a mile away in the opposite direction. Sainsburys 2 miles away (two, in opposite directions).

Homebase less than half a mile away, B&Q 2 miles, SF 2 miles (almost next door to each other). TS is 8 miles away, or about 12 (latter is faster to get to). I wish TS was nearer! And the good local ironmonger 1 mile away.

[spuorgelgoog]

I wonder which sells more power tools, per week per metre of shelf space ...

Owain

[whisky-dave]

I wonder how you work it out if you order it on-line.

[R D S]

This is what i'm seeing. My son drives newer cars than I do, wears fancy watches etc. but by the looks of it will never own a house.

Unless the missus & I die, then he'll own a house and 2 shops. Might change my will and leave the lot to the local dog charity.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You don't need to ask that. The fast turnover of the Lidl stuff is how it is such incredible value. Miles better than a cheap shed brand.

My nearest shed is a Wickes. With a Toolstation in it. Makes you wonder how Wickes sell anything that ToolStation also sells, given the higher prices.

Wickes also hold the record for selling the worst timber anywhere. Even although it may be cheap.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Perhaps it's not as important to this generation to own a house as it was to 'ours'?

[Peter Johnson]

A good number of those who do will be buying on line, where there's going to be a bigger choice. (I went to my local B&Q probably twice last year, and it was deadly quiet compared to how it used to be, even on quiet days. Then Tesco doesn't see as many customers in person as it used to either.)

[Andrew]

B&Q timber is just as bad, but not cheap :-(

[charles]

unless it's for a rubbish project, I go to a proper timber merchant

[Chris Green]

What 'proper timber merchant'? I've not seen any of them for quite a while.

[charles]

we've one about 5 miles away and theer are more round about.

[DJC]

6 miles: Morrisons, Lidl, SF, 6 miles(other way): Waitrose, Sainsbury, local Builders merchant 12 miles: SF, TS, and an industrial estate or two of independent tools, decorating and hardware shops, Morrisons, Tesco, Asda (never been there), Lidl, and about-to-open Aldi.

[DJC]

If people are not buying to DIY then it will be sold to a developer, who will have to factor in a profit, so ?if you are prepared to DIY? there is a barhain to be had.

[alan_m]

I recently had some building supplies delivered. They came on a pallet. The quality of the wood from the pallet is far superior than I've seen in B&Q. Unfortunately getting the nails out is a PITA. Obviously fired from a nail gun they seem to have a barbed section half an inch up the shaft from the point making them almost impossible to remove from the thicker cross sectional wood.

[John_j]

It isnt hard to make a decent profit on the older more run down properties by doing them up and then selling them to those changing houses who already own a house.

But that assumes that you can somehow fund the original purchase and far fewer can do that than used to do that in the past.

Its much easier for those whose whole business is serially buying older properties and doing them up and selling them again.