Britons turn their backs on DIY
Britons' love affair with DIY is waning, research suggests.
While Bank Holidays were traditionally a time when people looked to get on with home improvements, a study indicates that people would rather employ someone else to do the work.
Analysts found that two million of us have abandoned DIY over the past two years.
The slump in interest has been partly caused by declining skills among young people and the rise in popularity of ready-to-assemble flat-pack furniture.
However, it is not just the younger generation who are turning their backs on domestic manual chores. The report, by market analysts Mintel, found that the number of people aged from 45 to 54 who occupy their time with DIY has halved in two years from 30 per cent to just 15 per cent.
The study found that people increasingly prefer to spend the money on travel and relaxation rather than slaving away at tasks around the house.
Neil Mason, a Mintel spokesman, said: "DIY retailers have been losing share of all retail sales because of the ageing population being less inclined to do DIY, the growth of a do-it-for-me market, and a change in attitudes to the home.
"There has been a perceptible shift in consumer priorities away from the home and towards leisure ¨C particularly holidays and fashion."
(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.)
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