Despite widespread promotions, paint sales saw a decline in October, according to recent figures from GfK, while hand tools reported a 14% drop in sales volumes for the year.
Sales of total paint saw a 2.9% decline in October, compared with the same month in 2009. This was driven by falls in sales of trim paint and primers & undercoat categories, which were down 7.6% and 10% in volume respectively for the month.

GfK, which released the figures, believe sales in the paint sector have been affected by a lack of activity in the housing market and consumers being unwilling to undertake time-consuming and expensive home renovation projects.

However, widespread promotions targeting standard emulsion did result in an uplift in the category, with sales up 1.1% on October 2009. Standard emulsion is now the largest category, making up the paint 88% of the litres sold in October 2010. Overall, emulsion paint saw a 0.7% decline in sales volumes on last year, with sectors, including one coat, durable and kitchen & bathroom.

Meanwhile, 2010 has not been kind to the hand tool market, with recorded sales value declines of 5.37% from January to October. The sector has seen even bigger falls in volume, with sales down 14.17%.

GfK explained that it has seen a shift towards more branded products and away from own label, which have declined at a much greater rate. Screwdrivers have suffered the heaviest volume declines of 23.3% and 17% respectively, although their value performance has fared far better, declining 7%. This, explained GfK highlights the average price increases it has seen across the market,

In contrast, the power tools market reported growth in 2010 after suffering heavy declines, primarily driven by own label. The recent growth, said GfK, is off the back of heavy branded promotions this year.

However, the future for the hand tool market is still uncertain, with its reliance on a healthy property market and the fact that it has been three years since the sector reported growth. GfK said, with its "close correlation to the housemoves, it's difficult to be sure when the market will grow again in both value and particularly volume terms."