The Home Improvement and DIY Industry is facing numerous challenges due to fundamental transformations in its environment. Moreover, the pandemic will continue to have a tremendous impact on the future of the Home Improvement store internationally. Thierry Coeman, author of the essay “Hammertime”, delivers a framework which retailers and suppliers may consider to reshape the future Home Improvement store, whilst taking into account evolutions in society and trends in consumer behavior. ‘Hammertime’ is a metaphor comparing the current situation in the Home Improvement universe to the critical moment in an auction when decisions must be made.
A myriad of changes must be considered urgently in order to answer latent needs. In his essay Thierry Coeman analyses in seven concise sections the causalities which together require a renewed business model, entirely focused on service patterns.
The pathway to the future is symbolised by the anagram SMILED: Share, Meet, Interact, Learn, Enjoy, Discover which together create reinvigorating dynamics for a reshaped store environment in Home Improvement. The essay immediately caught the attention of acknowledged academics and captains of retail operating in the Home Improvement universe and is presented as a thinktank and frame of mind to enable all stakeholders to activate their tailor-made plan.

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Thierry Coeman (63) has been active during the last three decades as facilitator in the relationship between retailers and suppliers and continues to play an active role in the industry through his international network. He is the former chairman of the Belgian DIY Association and author of numerous articles on the ins and outs of the Home Improvement Universe.