"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
:Jerry: wrote:

snip

if the average DIYer only bought "the best" places like B&Q would
not offer lines that don't sell, but what do we find stocked -
plenty of cheap (some would say) crap but the more expencive (and
some would say) better tools are noticeable by their absence - go
into a true trade outlet and the opposite is the case...

That is beginning to change a little I have noticed. Our local B&Q
has a reasonable range of high end kit as well as the own brand
badged stuff and mid range kit... blue Bosch, Makita etc. Wickes
have started doing Hitachi, and I don't go in Homebase enough to
know what they do. It would seem as the general populous gets more
DIY savvy they are obviously creating a market for the higher end
tools. This is perhaps not surprising since it seems quite common to
buy something cheapish to see if you get good use from it, and then
trade up to something better when you find you do.

I would suggest that it might be happening because the likes of B&Q,
Wicks and Homebase etc. are attempting to attract trade customers
rather than the general populous becoming more DIY savvy - of course
the wild-cat in all this is what influence the various DIY programmes
have in all this, it's possible that some of the general populous are
buying the same as what they see their "Hero's" using on the TV...