Abstract
In this report, Mintel provides a thorough view of the residential plumbing supplies and services market, including analysis of demographics; industry and product trends; sales data; and custom consumer survey research available exclusively from Mintel.
Specifically, this report examines:
- The “whats” and “whos” of plumbing projects- what projects are getting done the most and who is doing them?
- How the housing market downturn has impacted and will continue to impact the plumbing market.
- A detailed examination of the primary retailers of plumbing supplies, and how they are adapting to a changing market. Also examined are plumbing service providers, and the increasingly blurry line between service providers and retailers.
- Extensive, insightful consumer survey data analysis into all aspects of plumbing, showing where the most lucrative potential lies. This report also provides an in-depth view of the emergency versus renovation aspects of plumbing and how the differences impact the market.
For the purposes of this report, plumbing includes plumbing supplies and services for the residential home improvement market, including repairs, maintenance and improvements. Supplies are sold though stores geared primarily to that market, including home improvement centers, hardware stores, department stores, and other general merchandise stores. Services include the professional labor as well as materials sourced in the course of billing for those projects. Also included are professional services sourced through retailers.
Table of Contents
- Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Resources used for Consumer sections
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Executive Summary
- A slipping market, but not for long
- The housing/plumbing marriage
- Will the past tell the future?
- Service providers to get closer to insurers
- Market trends
- The retail scene--suppliers increasingly provide plumbing services
- The consumer--split between DIY and those who hire a professional
- Future trends
- Overall growth slows, but the long-term trend remains strong
- Retail players find their niche
- A way to reach the Boomer market(s)
- Homes of the future
- The changing face of homeowners
- Market Drivers
- The housing/plumbing marriage
- Figure 1: Sales of existing and new single-family homes, 2001-07
- Figure 2: Expenditures for residential repairs and maintenance, and improvements, 2001-06
- Will the past tell the future?
- Bigger homes equals more plumbing
- Severe weather drives replacement needs
- Demographic considerations
- Age
- Figure 3: U.S. population, by age, 2002-12
- Figure 4: Home renovation expenditures, by term of residency, 2003
- Figure 5: Incidence of home ownership, by age, 1995-2006
- Race/Hispanic origin
- Figure 6: Incidence of home ownership, by race/ethnicity, 1995-2006
- Gender
- Market Size and Trends
- Market size
- Figure 7: Total U.S. retail sales of plumbing supplies and services, at current and constant prices, 2001-07
- Market trends
- Introduction
- Going green
- Market Segmentation
- Figure 8: Sales of plumbing supplies and services, by type, 2005 and 2007
- Plumbing services
- Figure 9: Sales of plumbing services, at current and constant prices, 2001-07
- Plumbing supplies
- Figure 10: Sales of plumbing supplies, at current and constant prices, 2001-07
- Advertising and Promotion
- Retail Distribution and Supply Structure
- The retail scene
- Retailers
- Figure 11: Home channel sales, by retailer, 2004 and 2006
- Home centers
- Size matters
- Professional services
- Project help for the DIYer
- Moving from the suburbs into urban and rural areas
- Department stores/mass merchandisers
- Figure 12: Top home improvement centers' operating statistics, latest fiscal year-end 2005
- Independent hardware stores
- Figure 13: Membership and revenues for leading hardware buying co-operatives, 2005 and 2006
- Figure 14: Top independent hardware-buying groups, by sales, 2005 and 2006
- Plumbers
- The plumbing retail consumer
- Key points
- Figure 15: Where materials were purchased, August 2007
- Figure 16: Where materials were purchased, by gender, August 2007
- Figure 17: Where materials were purchased, by age, August 2007
- Figure 18: Where materials were purchased, by household income, August 2007
- Figure 19: Where materials were purchased, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2007
- Figure 20: Where materials were purchased, by region, August 2007
- Figure 21: Where materials were purchased, by products purchased, August 2007
- The Consumer--Work Done, Reasons, and Cost
- Summary of consumer sections
- Plumbing most often purchased, and cost
- Figure 22: Home improvement plumbing items purchased in the last 12 months, 2002-06
- Figure 23: Amount spent on plumbing items, January-September 2007
- The plumbing work done
- Figure 24: Plumbing work done in past year, by gender, August 2007
- Figure 25: Plumbing work done in past year, by age, August 2007
- Figure 26: Plumbing work done in past year, by household income, August 2007
- Figure 27: Plumbing work done in past year, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2007
- Figure 28: Plumbing work done in past year, by number of people in household, August 2007
- New construction, renovation, or emergency?
- Figure 29: Reason for doing the plumbing work, by gender, August 2007
- Figure 30: Reason for doing the plumbing work, by age, August 2007
- Figure 31: Reason for doing the plumbing work, by household income, August 2007
- Figure 32: Reason for doing the plumbing work, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2007
- Figure 33: Reason for doing the plumbing work, by marital status, August 2007
- Figure 34: Reason for doing the plumbing work, by region, August 2007
- Why it was done
- Figure 35: Why the plumbing work was done, by age, August 2007
- Figure 36: Why the plumbing work was done, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2007
- Figure 37: Deciding what needed to be done, by gender, August 2007
- Figure 38: Deciding what needed to be done, by age, August 2007
- Figure 39: Deciding what needed to be done, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2007
- Figure 40: Deciding what needed to be done, by marital status, August 2007
- Figure 41: Deciding what needed to be done, by region, August 2007
- The Consumer--Who Did the Work, and What was Purchased
- Who did the work
- Figure 42: Who did the plumbing work, by gender, August 2007
- Figure 43: Who did the plumbing work, by age, August 2007
- Figure 44: Who did the plumbing work, by household income, August 2007
- Figure 45: Who did the plumbing work, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2007
- Figure 46: Who did the plumbing work, by education level, August 2007
- Figure 47: Who did the plumbing work, by employment status, August 2007
- Figure 48: Who did the plumbing work, by region, August 2007
- Figure 49: Cross-tab--type of plumbing work done, by who did the work, August 2007
- How help to do the job was found
- Figure 50: How professional help was found, by gender, August 2007
- Figure 51: How professional help was found, by age, August 2007
- Satisfaction with plumbing work done
- Figure 52: Satisfaction with work done, by age, August 2007
- What materials were purchased for the project and where they were purchased
- Figure 53: What was bought for the project, by age, August 2007
- Figure 54: What was bought for the project, by marital status, August 2007
- Figure 55: What was bought for the project, by region, August 2007
- Future and Forecast
- Future trends
- Overall growth slows, but the long-term trend remains strong
- Retail players find their niche
- The house of the future
- Water use reduction
- The changing face of homeowners
- The Boomers: Echo and Baby
- Market forecast
- Plumbing supplies and services
- Figure 56: Forecast of total U.S. sales of plumbing supplies and services, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Plumbing services
- Figure 57: Forecast of U.S. sales of plumbing services, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Plumbing supplies
- Figure 58: Forecast of U.S. sales of plumbing supplies, at current and constant prices, 2007-12
- Forecast factors
- Appendix: Trade Associations
- North American Retail Hardware Association and Home Center Institute
