OBI (retail chain)

{{Short description|German multinational home improvement store chain owned by Tengelmann Group}} {{Other uses of|OBI}}

{{Infobox company | name = OBI Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte GmbH & Co. Franchise Center KG | logo = OBI-Logo-2026.svg | trade_name = OBI Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte | type = Subsidiary | traded_as = | industry = Home improvement<br/>DIY store | founded = {{start date|1970}} in Hamburg-Poppenbüttel, Germany | founders = Dr. Emil Lux<br/>Manfred Maus | defunct = | hq_location = | hq_location_city = Wermelskirchen | hq_location_country = Germany | num_locations = 668 | num_locations_year = 2018 | areas_served = {{unbulleted list|Germany|Italy|Austria|Hungary|Czech Republic|Poland|Russia|Slovakia|Slovenia|Switzerland|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} | key_people = Sebastian Gundel, CEO | products = | revenue = {{profit}} €7.7 billion | revenue_year = 2018 | net_income = | net_income_year = | num_employees = 42,000 | num_employees_year = 2015 | parent = Tengelmann Group | subsid = | footnotes = | website = {{URL|http://www.obi.de}} }}

'''OBI GmbH & Co. Deutschland KG''' is a German multinational home improvement supplies retailing company. It is headquartered in Wermelskirchen and operates 668 stores in Europe, of which 351 are in Germany.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.diyinternational.com/home/news/article/OBI-makes-around-eur-77-bn-in-2018/ |title=Obi makes around EUR 7.7 bn in 2018 |publisher=diyinternational.com |date=12 March 2019 |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=31 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831195844/https://www.diyinternational.com/home/news/article/OBI-makes-around-eur-77-bn-in-2018/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== History == Obi was founded in 1970 by Emil Lux, Manfred Maus and Klaus Birker with the opening of the first Obi store in the Alstertal shopping center in Hamburg-Poppenbüttel.

In 1985, the Tengelmann Group acquired a majority stake in Obi. The share was increased in 2007 by buying the shares of the Lux founding family.

Obi has been present in Switzerland since 1999, in partnership with the Migros cooperative.<ref name=Switzerland>{{Cite web |title=Qui sommes-nous? |url=http://www.obi.ch/fr/footer/obi_swiss/ueber_uns/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515041358/http://www.obi.ch/fr/footer/obi_swiss/ueber_uns/index.html |archive-date=2016-05-15 |access-date=2016-03-30 |website=Obi Suisse |language=fr}}</ref>

It formerly had operated 13 stores in mainland China, but these were sold to B&Q in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.scmp.com/article/498621/european-store-giant-pulls-out-mainland |title=European store giant pulls out of mainland |publisher=scmp.com |date=29 April 2005}}</ref>

The company expanded in Romania in 2008, where it opened 7 stores until 2010. Due to the economic crisis and the small market share, the company decided in 2014 to close the stores, 5 of which were sold to Jumbo. Also in 2008 the company opened the first 2 stores in Ukraine, followed in 2009 by a third store. They closed in 2013.

In 2015, Obi took over 68 stores from bankrupt Baumax, 48 of which are located in Austria, 14 stores in Slovakia, two stores in Slovenia, and four locations in Czechia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-30 |title=Obi darf bauMax-Filialen übernehmen |trans-title=Obi may take over bauMax stores |url=https://noe.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2734196/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303062540/https://noe.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2734196/ |archive-date=2021-03-03 |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=noe.orf.at |language=de}}</ref>

In March 2022, Obi ceased operations in Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-07 |title=OBI Group interrompe le attività in Russia |url=https://www.bricomagazine.com/obi-group-interrompe-le-attivita-russia/ |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=BricoMagazine |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-04-27 |title=German DIY retail chain OBI says it has definitely left Russia |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-germany-obi-idUSL5N2WP5VB |url-status=live |access-date=2022-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513174844/https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-germany-obi-idUSL5N2WP5VB |archive-date=2022-05-13}}</ref>

On April 27, 2022, the chain's stores began to resume work in Russia. The retailer sold its business to a Russian investor. The businessman Josef Liokumovich became the new owner. According to him, he acquired the Russian business of OBI for a symbolic price of 600 rubles (10 USD).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.ru/biznes/474169-novyj-vladelec-kupil-rossijskij-biznes-obi-za-600-rublej|title= Новый владелец купил российский бизнес OBI за 600 рублей|language=ru|date=2022-08-15|publisher=Forbes.ru}}</ref>

On December 9, 2022, one of OBI's Russian stores burnt down due to a chemical explosion, resulting in at least one fatality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.ru/society/482266-mcs-nazvalo-pricinu-pozara-v-obi-v-podmoskov-e|title= МЧС назвало причину пожара в OBI в Подмосковье|language=ru|date=2022-12-09|publisher=Forbes.ru}}</ref>

== Operations ==

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;margin:auto;" ! Country ! First store ! Number of stores |- | align=left| Germany || align=center|1970|| align=center|351 |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | align=left| Italy || align=center|1993|| align=center|55 |- | align=left| Austria || align=center|1995|| align=center|82 |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | align=left| Poland || align=center|1998|| align=center| 61<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.obi.pl/company/expansion/|title=Ekspansja|access-date=2019-04-26|language=pl|archive-date=26 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426050439/https://www.obi.pl/company/expansion/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- | align=left| Czech Republic || align=center|1995|| align=center|33 |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | align=left| Hungary || align=center|1994|| align=center|42 |- | align=left| Russia || align=center|2003|| align=center|27<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.obi.ru/company/about-the-company/|title=OBI - О компании|website=OBI.ru|language=ru-RU|access-date=2019-07-29|archive-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729083728/https://www.obi.ru/company/about-the-company/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | align=left| Slovakia || align=center|2008|| align=center|14 |- | align=left| Slovenia || align=center|1998|| align=center|9 |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | align=left| Switzerland (owned by Migros<ref name=Switzerland/>) || align=center|1999<ref name=Switzerland/>|| align=center| 10<ref name=Switzerland/> |- | align=left| Bosnia and Herzegovina (owned by Solomaher) || align=center|2003|| align=center|1

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{in lang|de}} [http://www.obi.de Official German website]

Category:Hardware stores Category:Companies based in North Rhine-Westphalia Category:Retail companies established in 1970 Category:Retail companies of Germany Category:1970 establishments in West Germany Category:German brands