DIY franchise offer from Petrowitsch

Petrowitsch, a builders’ merchanting house based in St Petersburg, has set up a franchise programme geared to the DIY trade that aims for the opening of 20 outlets over the next four years. Petrowitsch, in existence since 1995, currently has 14 stores under this name, all of them in the north-west of Russia. Information from the company states that it has a hold on one quarter of the b2b market in St Petersburg. As reported by Kommersant, a newspaper, the company is now aiming for a stronger orientation towards the DIY trade. Designed as a means to this end are the new franchise stores under the Urowen banner, which are expected to offer a slimmed-down range of products and reasonable prices. The company is focusing this offer on individual building supply firms that are keen to find refuge under the umbrella of a brand name. Critics have their reservations: Urowen is relatively unknown as a brand and not very attractive.Metrika, the main competitor in the northern region of Russia, admits that it is currently planning a franchise concept as well.