B&Q
United Kingdom
B&Q is one of the best known home improvement retailers in the United Kingdom. The first store opened in 1969. Since 1982 the brand has belonged to the group that is now...
European Alternatives to The Home Depot
BAUHAUS
Germany
EU
BAUHAUS is a DIY and trade chain that was founded in Mannheim in 1960. It runs "Fachcentren", large specialist centres for tools, building materials, garden, workshop and home, and has grown into...
Castorama
France
EU
Castorama is a French DIY chain. The first store opened in France in 1969, and the brand launched its well-known slogan in 1975. It belongs to the British group Kingfisher and trades...
Dedeman
Romania
EU
Dedeman is a Romanian DIY and building materials chain. Two Romanian entrepreneurs started it in Bacău in 1992 with an 11-person team. Today it is one of the best known retail names...
hagebau
Germany
EU
hagebau is a German purchasing and marketing cooperation for the building materials, timber and DIY trade. Unlike most entries in this category it is not a single company: 34 specialist dealers founded...
HORNBACH
Germany
EU
HORNBACH is a German DIY and garden retailer. The listed group is run from Bornheim in the Palatinate, and its largest operating company, HORNBACH Baumarkt AG, runs large-format home improvement and garden...
Leroy Merlin
France
EU
Leroy Merlin is the largest brand of the French home improvement group ADEO, whose registered office is in Ronchin near Lille. The business goes back to 1923. Its stores serve both private...
OBI
Germany
EU
OBI is a German DIY chain with its head office in Wermelskirchen. The group was founded in 1970. The name is the French pronunciation of "hobby", which the founder bought from a...
toom Baumarkt
Germany
EU
toom Baumarkt is the DIY chain of the German REWE Group, based in Cologne. It runs conventional DIY stores under the toom name and a discount format called B1 Discount Baumarkt.
Did we miss one? Feel free to submit a suggestion!
Submit SuggestionThe Home Depot is an American home improvement retailer. It describes itself as the world's largest in its field, with more than 2,300 stores and about 475,000 associates in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It has no stores in Europe, so people who look for a "Home Depot alternative" in Europe are really looking for the local DIY chain. This page lists the European DIY chains that fill that role.
European alternatives and what they offer
In Germany and neighbouring countries, HORNBACH, BAUHAUS and OBI run large stores with a garden centre and a wide range for tradespeople. toom Baumarkt is a German chain with about 300 stores, and hagebau is a cooperation of independent dealers. In France, Spain, Italy and other countries Leroy Merlin is the best known name, and Castorama covers France and Poland. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the equivalent is B&Q, and Romania has Dedeman.
Choosing a chain
- Check which chain has stores in your country, because none of them covers all of Europe.
- For trade customers, HORNBACH, BAUHAUS and OBI have the widest professional ranges.
- If you prefer an independent local dealer, hagebau partners are a good place to start.
What to expect
The European chains sell similar categories to The Home Depot: tools, building materials, paint, flooring, kitchens, bathrooms and garden products. Brand names and own labels differ from country to country, and online ranges vary by chain. See also our overview of European DIY stores.