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 DIY Stores
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.
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Submit SuggestionHome improvement is a field where Europe has large chains of its own. This page lists nine European DIY chains, from the German names HORNBACH, BAUHAUS, OBI, toom Baumarkt and hagebau to the French Leroy Merlin and Castorama, the British B&Q and the Romanian Dedeman.
Which chain is where
| Chain | Country | Presence according to the company |
|---|---|---|
| HORNBACH | Germany | 175 DIY and garden centres plus three specialist stores in nine countries |
| BAUHAUS | Germany | More than 290 Fachcentren in 19 countries |
| OBI | Germany | More than 660 stores in Europe |
| toom Baumarkt | Germany | About 300 stores |
| hagebau | Germany | Cooperation of about 350 partners, more than 1,500 locations in Europe |
| Leroy Merlin | France | Part of ADEO, active in 21 countries |
| Castorama | France | France and Poland, part of Kingfisher |
| B&Q | United Kingdom | United Kingdom and Ireland, part of Kingfisher |
| Dedeman | Romania | 64 stores in Romania |
How the chains differ
- Large-format chains: HORNBACH, BAUHAUS and OBI run big stores with garden centres and a wide trade offer, and all three trade in several countries.
- Discount and group formats: toom runs a standard format and a discount format, B1 Discount Baumarkt. hagebau is a cooperation of independent dealers, not one company.
- International groups: Leroy Merlin belongs to the French group ADEO, B&Q and Castorama to the British group Kingfisher.
- One national champion: Dedeman trades only in Romania.
Ownership
None of the chains carries the non-European parent flag. Leroy Merlin is controlled by the Mulliez family, OBI by the German Tengelmann group, toom by the REWE Group cooperative, and B&Q and Castorama by the listed British company Kingfisher.
What Europe does not offer as one brand
The American chains The Home Depot and Lowe's have no stores in Europe. The Home Depot says it has more than 2,300 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The chains above fill that role in Europe, each in its own countries. For comparison, see European alternatives to The Home Depot. For the products themselves, see the pages on power tools, hand tools and garden tools.