German DIY group Hellweg to disappear

In Germany, the Hellweg DIY group, with its two retail chains Hellweg and Baywa Bau & Garten, is disappearing from the retail landscape. Only a small proportion of the stores are expected to be taken over by competitors and continued under their brands.

The Hellweg Group filed for insolvency in mid-June. At that time, it still had 68 Hellweg stores and 46 stores under the Baywa Bau & Garten brand in Germany, as well as six Hellweg stores in Austria.

The company has now announced that 18 Hellweg stores and 17 stores from the Baywa Bau & Garten retail chain are expected to be taken over by investors. The closure of two sites in Austria had already been announced previously.

Obi, Germany’s second-largest DIY store operator, intends to take over a total of twelve stores. Agreements are already in place for five stores – three previously under the Hellweg brand and two under Baywa…