Then there are more existential threats, like a digital generation that favors 99-cent iPad apps over traditional toys, a shrinking number of toy stores and the looming concern that DIY 3-D printing will render premade plastic toys obsolete.

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Focus DIY was founded by Bill Archer in 1987, with six stores in the Midlands and the north of England.

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Kingfisher is the third largest DIY retailer in the world, with more than 1, 000 stores in eight countries.

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Home Depot closed half of its stores in China after finding that Chinese consumers were not as enthusiastic about DIY (Do-It-Yourself) home improvement projects as Americans are.

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Makers are not the salvation for our world economies, but the problem-solving that comes out of the DIY, Fixer, Maker movements is more in tune with how companies grow than cutting jobs and closing stores.

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