European D.I.Y. retailers face mixed housing markets

In 2016, the housing property market reached record highs in some European countries. This market, which directly affects the sales of equipment retailers such as Kingfisher, Leroy-Merlin and Hornbach, was driven by ultra-low interest rates that made housing more accessible. In France, rates have fell to about 1% for loans over 20 years, and the number of housing transactions increased by 2.2% last year to 850,000 deals. New builds jumped by 9.3%. In Germany, the housing property market...