DIY market survey

dismissed by DIY specialists."

Specialty DIY operations are expected to maintain a niche, with traditional hardware and paint stores joined by new concepts developed by entrepreneurs seeking a "quick, relatively cheap means to participate in the DIY boom," the survey notes.

On the wholesaling end, the study points out that "heightened competitive pressures (exacerbated by the explosive increase in inventory carrying costs in the 1979-81 period) have forced wholesalers to re-examine traditional business methods. Wholesalers who can make it through this period of adjustment can look forward to a long-term expansion of their role. "

Figuring behind this expansion is the tendency among some retailers to move away from distribution, "finding their hands sufficiently filled by

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