Building retailer launches magazine for DIY women

Over the years, we’ve covered various businesses for women tackling home improvement and building. From tools and steel-toe shoes to women-only construction crews, the ‘do-it-herself’ market continues to expand. Our latest spotting? A home improvement magazine for women that has just been launched by Karwei, one of the Netherlands’ largest DIY retail chains. Their new quarterly, Ziezo, is targeted both to women who are considering a first small project, like painting a bench, to their more experienced sisters who are ready to remodel a bathroom or insulate an attic. The free print magazine, which can also be read online, aims to be both instructional and inspirational. Besides plenty of practical, hands-on advice and step-by-step instructions, Ziezo includes articles on interior design that probably wouldn’t have made it to the pages of a home improvement publication for male readers. Like Home Depot, which offers Do-It-Herself Workshops, Karwei is smart to tap into market that’s (still) underserved. Since DIY retailers in many parts of the world are suffering from a distressed housing market, attracting female shoppers is an opportunity they can’t afford to miss. As for retailers in strong, growing markets—now’s the time to get in on the ground floor. Spotted by: RK