OBI

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 French store owner.

Range

• Building materials, tools, paint, flooring, bathroom, lighting and everything for the garden
• Own stores plus stores run by franchise partners, supported by an online shop

Where to find it

OBI itself says it has more than 660 stores in Europe, more than 40,000 employees and more than 200 million customer visits a year (company website, 2026). Trade press puts the network at 661 stores in ten countries and the group turnover at 8.2 billion euros for 2024. Of the 672 OBI stores counted at the end of 2021, 351 were in Germany, 79 in Austria, 59 in Poland and 57 in Italy (group annual report 2021). The only French stores that carry the name belong to Leroy Merlin because of an old contract.

Ownership

OBI is held by the Tengelmann group of Munich (about 74 percent according to the latest published annual accounts) and the German Lueg group, so it has no non-European parent.