German companies abroad

German DIY retailers have 404 outlets in operation abroad (status: Dec. 2003). The country that is most often the target for expansionary plans is Austria, where there are 165 stores belonging to operators from this northern neighbour. Next in importance, but at a great distance, are Poland and Czechia with just under 40 outlets. The only direct neighbouring country where the Germans have yet to get a foothold is Belgium. Nor are they represented in three other countries of the pre-enlargement European Union: Britain, Ireland and Portugal. Norway is another country without any German-run DIY stores so far. Obi, which is the only German DIY trading group to have risked making the move overseas, had a six-store presence in China at the end of 2003.
A detailed overview of the international activities of German DIY retailers has been published in “DIY + Garten – Das Jahrbuch 2004” (The 2004 Yearbook for DIY + Garden).