Oct 29
This weeks episode of The Apprentice saw the teams having to choose innovative products to pitch to the trade - which included Wolseley, Rowlands Home Hardware and B&Q.
One the teams, Team Synergy, chose an eco showerhead and a garden tool. They then proceeded to try to get orders for their items from retailers, with varying success. Wolseley weren’t interested, Rowlands Home Hardware placed an order for £12,000 and B&Q placed an enormous order for £63,000!
Although reported in www.diyweek.net, the team had a bit of a problem with their maths at Rowlands Home Hardware! Manager Adrian Winnicott explained that
‘When the lad came to fill out the order book, part of the order was 1,000 showerheads at £10 each. He turned to the girl with him and asked what 10 times 1,000 was! And her answer was £1,000! So actually, they sold them to us for £1 each, which Alan Sugar didn’t pick up on.’
Oct 28
DIY Doctor thoroughly enjoyed working at this years National Home Improvement Show and presenting on the ‘Tricks of the Trade’ stage. It was the second year of working with Centaur Media Plc, who organise the event, and this is what Richard Milbourn, their Event Director, had to say about us -
“The National Home Improvement Show has been working very closely with Mike Edwards and DIY Doctor over the last two years and the sheer power and effectiveness of the DIY Doctor brand and website never ceases to amaze me.
Whenever there is a story on their website, our registrations and feedback shoot up and if I had a home improvement product, DIY Doctor would be my first port of call for promoting it! It is also very refreshing to come across a company where the people really understand the practical issues they are writing about. This is best exemplified at the Show where, even when competing with seminars by celebrities from television such as Julia Kendall and Charlie Luxton, the DIY Doctor presentations are absolutely packed and one of the most popular features of the National Home Improvement Show.”
Thank you Richard, and we look forward to working with you again soon!
Oct 27
The ‘Desired Outcome Building Contract’ is freely available via the DIY Doctor website and is proving very popular with over 50 requests coming in a day.
The contract has been written by tradesmen and home owners to offer protection and common sense to people taking on building projects up to the value of £75,000.
For more information or to request a copy of the Desired Outcome Building Contract, go to the Building Contracts project page and follow the link.
Oct 25
Fewer than 46% of homes in Britain have even the most basic security measures fitted such as extra window and door locks, only 35% of homes have door chains and spy holes and only a third of homes have security lights.
Yet the security market is set to reach £100m by the end of 2010, according to Mintel forcasts. Intruder alarms make up the majority of consumer spending at £59m, with £39m spent on window and door security.
Mintel senior retail analyst Jane Westgarth said: “Consumer caution pays off, as there is a far lower risk of burglary for those homes that take sensible steps to improve their security. Yet despite high awareness of the risk of burglaries, our research finds that no one type of burglary prevention equipment is owned by more than half of the population, illustrating the untapped potential in the home security market as a whole.
“As the economy recovers and the housing market picks up, spending on home security products is likely to benefit. The ageing population, the rise in the number of people living in flats, the increased affordability of electronic equipment, and the increasing use of remote items that do not require wiring into a home are all positive signs for development.”
Click through to find out how to fit a cylinder night latch and learn more about home and garden security.
Oct 23
DIY Doctor has just put their new ‘Tiling a Bathroom’ videos onto YouTube and you can watch them here!
The three films are of the demonstration they did on the ‘Tricks of the Trade’ stage at the National Home Improvement Show.
