Japan DIY Homecenter Show Draws 22% More Visitors in 2009

The Japan DIY Homecenter Show (JDHS), held by the Japan DIY Industry Association, is regarded as a key event of its kind globally, a platform with excellent potential for dealers of DIY tools and home improvement items, especially during leaner times when Japanese and foreign suppliers are catering to rising demand from budget-conscious do-it-yourselfers. As reflection of the continual popularity of the event, the organizer decided to hold the show annually starting 2003, instead of biennially.

The JDHS, celebrating its 45th anniversary, was staged August 27 to 29, 2009 in the International Makuhari Messe Exhibition Hall in Chiba Ken, a prefecture adjacent to Tokyo. Noteworthy is that Her Imperial Highness Princess of Japan, Hisako Takamado, was invited to address the audience at the opening ceremony, proving to be a big hit as she later toured the show for an hour and half.

Battered by the rising yen against the greenback, coupled with a massive budget deficit as well as the staggering recovery in Japan's economy, the JDHS lost its attraction, drawing only 390 exhibitors instead of 420 in the previous edition, renting out only 873 booths, 130 lower than the 1,003 sold a year earlier; however the number of foreign exhibitors from 10 countries held up, remaining at 104 and equaling that in 2008, coming from China, the U.S., Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore etc. Some 40-plus DIY tool makers from Taiwan were on-hand, showing both their confidence in the market and rising recognition among Japanese buyers and consumers.

Another bright spot was the rising number of visitors, totaling 76,625 visitors and professional buyers, impressively up 22% from the 62,739 posted in 2008, likely showing the steady business opportunities to be discovered in the Japanese DIY and home-improvement segments.

Importance of Home Centers

To say that rising number of home centers, as B&Q and Home Depot elsewhere, in Japan somehow mirrors the nation's weakening economy may be an understatement. The simple analysis is that Japanese homeowners in more robust times, before the bubble burst in the 1990s, would have hired tradesmen to do small jobs around the home; however today Japanese consumers, erstwhile perceived as quality-fussy perfectionists, are making do with lower-quality, economical DIY and home-improvement items. Harsher times in Japan, where TV reports have shown 50-plus men, after losing homes to foreclosures, rent windowless cubicles sized about four square meters by the day as shelter, is a blessing in disguise for home center operators, offering DIY options to homeowners who are cinching their belts.

Figures bear out the burgeoning home-center segment: The show organizer reports some 4,030 home centers in Japan as of 2008, whose lines are wide ranging and include DIY tools, hardware, pneumatic tools, carpenter tools, automotive accessories, building and decorative materials etc., with quality from low to high ends. Annual revenue in the sector peaked at JPY3 trillion (about US$30 billion) as of 1998.

Such promising growth of home centers in Japan also bodes well for hand tool suppliers: The nation posted import value of hand tools totaling US$1.322 billion in 2008, up 6.88% from that in 2007, with China contributing 32.83%, Germany 11.36%, the U.S. 11.07%, South Korea 9.3% and Taiwan 7.54% as the top-5 suppliers. Export value also rose to US$3.4 billion, according to statistics compiled by Japan Customs.

Show Features

Basically duplicating the product lines seen at B&Q and Home Depot, the 2009 JDHS showcased carpentry tools, power tools, hand tools, pneumatic tools, gardening tools, plumbing tools, hardware, building materials, lighting, interior and home fashions, outdoor products, kitchen and housekeeping products, home safety and security devices, painting tools and materials, healthcare goods, pet products and so on. The well-known big brands were also present, including TOTO, Lion, Hitachi and Kiki.

Interactive events specially held by the organizer also helped to stir buzz and enhance recreational quotient among visitors. For example, the show management set up the “Exhibitor's Presentation Corner” to give center-stage attention to exhibitors who competed in the “DIY New Product and Hit Product Competition,” enabling effective presentation as well as buyers and general visitors to vote for the winners.

Not overlooking the doing-business aspect of JDHS 2009, the organizer set up in-person meetings between exhibitors and buyers: The “Homecenter Trade II” saw, over three days, 242 business meetings in which 89 companies attended. The annual event has figures to back up its success, for a poll conducted in 2007 revealed 81% of respondents engaged in business negotiations, with 92% reporting the show had lived up to expectations of being an effective business platform.

Special to Taiwan

The JDHS 2009 likely holds special significance for Taiwan-based hand tool and hardware makers. With the Japanese having colonized Taiwan before 1949, many small businesses and entrepreneurs, especially with fond memories of that era, in Taiwan are drawn to the Japanese culture and market, as well as believing that made-in-Japan equals superiority. So despite being racked by the global downturn throughout 2009, Taiwanese hand tool and hardware suppliers chose to sign up to attend this year.

Tougher times may spell good news for the some 40 Taiwanese exhibitors, especially those adept at offering popular-priced items, occupying some 369 square meters at this year's event, who showcased a huge product line, including DIY tools, gardening tools and household hardware, endoscopes, showerheads, sanitary ware, hand tools, locks and locksets, machinery parts, door and window parts, fasteners, lighting, stainless steel kitchen equipment etc.

Sigh of Relief

Sizable participation by Taiwanese exhibitors also helped the success of the show, offsetting the sagging exhibitor number this year. Despite being concerned, Japan DIY Industry Association chairman Yoji Sakamoto breathed a sigh of relief while expressing heartfelt appreciation for the support from many exhibiting companies that enabled the smooth opening of the JAPAN DIY HOMECENTER SHOW 2009.

The CENS (China Economic News Service), a 35-year veteran trade promoter and publisher in Taiwan, also attended the show to circulate Guide Book to Taiwan Hand Tools, a recognized reference for global buyers sourcing Taiwan-made hand tools and hardware. In fact, CENS' reputation in Japanese trade show circles preceded itself among Japanese buyers, who know the established Taipei-based export media has been a reliable presence at the event for years.

The next Japan DIY Homecenter Show, scheduled for August 26-28, 2010 at the same venue, can look forward to rosier times as many sectors of the global economy seem to be steadily recovering.