59.8% of UK consumers have or plan to use extra time during lockdown to refresh their homes, with DIY and redecorating proving more popular than buying new homewares or furniture, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Thomas Brereton, Retail Analyst at GlobalData comments: “Despite physical retail being largely on hold, a lot of consumers are still looking to decorate and undertake DIY, buying low price-point items (such as paint and tools) online and from retailers that are reopening (e.g. B&Q).”

“While the UK has plans to relax lockdown conditions in the upcoming weeks, there is still scope for retailers to capitalise on these trends as consumers continue to spend significantly more time at home. Many consumers will be determined to use their free time without the option of holidays, pubs and other leisure activities, to spruce up their property to get jobs out of the way ready for a summer where they will hope to be socialising more.”

*Data taken from GlobalData’s survey of 2,000 nationally representative UK respondents conducted in May 2020.