More people in UK ‘makedoandmend’

Resurgence of ‘make-do-and-mend’

SOCIETY: It is one of the frustrations of modern life: your kettle, tablet or lawnmower stops working just as the warranty ends.

But instead of discarding them and buying replacements, people are increasingly rediscovering local repair shops as the 1940s ethos of ‘make-do and mend’ enjoys a resurgence.

IT IS one of the frustrations of modern life: your kettle, tablet or lawnmower stops working just as the warranty ends.

But instead of discarding them and buying replacements, people are increasingly rediscovering their local repair shops as the 1940s ethos of ‘make-do and mend’ enjoys a resurgence.

The number of outlets fixing everything from phones to furniture has risen by more than a third across the UK since 2010, official figures show.

And that includes a 42 per cent rise in repair shops in Yorkshire and the Humber from around 500 to 710 – the fourth largest increase among regions in the UK.

The modern consumer is looking to spend their money on experiences like eating out rather than physical possessions, according to analyst Kate Hardcastle, who grew up in Calderdale.

“People are spending on experiences like never before,” she said. “I don’t think people are saying, ‘Let’s batten down the hatches’. I think they are spending on totally different things than they used to.

“There is less ‘bragability’ about consuming things like biglabel fashion and textiles.”

And there is a growing concern for the environmental effects of our throwaway culture, Hardcastle says.

While some consumers remain happy to buy a fast-fashion outfit and discard it after one wear, she says, the so-called ‘Blue Planet effect’ has seen others try to cut the waste they produce.

Retail analyst Richard Hyman

said it is a “reflection that the consumer economy is clearly not in good shape in Britain” as people tire of the latest gadgets.

“I think the appetite to makedo and mend rather than to buy new is clearly an underlying factor in the economy.”

The household repairs industry is now worth an estimated £3.9bn to the UK economy, the highest value since records began in 1990, with nearly 10,000 business units across the country.

The rise of the smartphone has seen the number of phone repair shops in the UK more than triple since 2010, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

But other fix-it businesses are also doing well, the figures suggest.

Furniture restoration shops and home appliance repairers are on the rise, while the number of cobblers’ outlets is holding steady amid tough trading conditions for the UK high street.

In Yorkshire, repair shops for household appliances, home and garden equipment, furniture, furnishings, other personal or household goods, have shot up 59 per cent from 135 to 215 between 2010 and 2018.

Such shops in the region for computers, phones and other consumer electronics went up from 290 to 420, a 45 per cent rise.

Barnsley recorded the biggest percentage rise going from 10 to 20 shops, but Bradford’s number went up from 40 to 75 (88 per cent). In Leeds, the region’s largest city, there was a 29 per cent rise from 85 shops to 110 .

Ikea, which famously announced in 2016 that the western world had probably hit ‘peak stuff’, is among the retail giants now considering how to respond to these changing times.

It is piloting a furniture leasing model in Switzerland, as millennials used to streaming movies or renting homes become less attached to the concept of ownership, and bosses are also considering how they can help customers repair their older items.

People are spending on experiences like never before. Retail analyst Kate Hardcastle.

IF THE resurgence of the post-war ‘make do and mend’ culture is society supporting local DIY shops, and fighting back against the manufacturers of household goods which are no longer built to last, it is to be welcomed.

There was a time, not so long ago, when companies prided themselves on the reliability, longevity and sturdiness of electrical items and their like.

It was also a source of embarrassment if they broke down prematurely.

Now there is a growing sense, even suspicion, that some goods and gadgets are never intended to last beyond their warranty date because of a mistaken belief, on the part of certain companies, that consumers will simply fork out the money for a new product without quibble.

If their durability can be extended – and there are sufficient tradespeople with the necessary expertise – it will also leave families with more disposable income at a time when the wider economy needs every possible stimulus.