Store numbers on the increase

The economic barometer is pointing to growth in the three central European countries of Czechia, Hungary and Poland. Gross domestic product rose by 3.8 per cent in Czechia last year, and by as much as 5.8 per cent in Poland. In these countries the DIY retailers were also on course for expansion in 2004, with Poland, as the biggest of the three, also accounting for the greatest number of new openings (seven).
A glance back at developments in the DIY retail sector over the last five years will also show that, of the central European countries we are looking at here, Poland has produced the greatest amount of growth in both outlets and retail area. The number of DIY stores experienced an increase of 106 per cent, from 67 at the end of 1999 to 138 at the end of 2004. Where retail area is concerned, growth over the same period came to 127 per cent, going up from 362 000 m² to 820 000 m².
Progress in Hungary was weaker in comparison. The number of DIY stores there increased by 63 per cent to 52 between 1999 and 2004, and retail area grew by 114 per cent to 341 000 m². In Czechia, which has a population the same size as Hungary's, there are more stores and a correspondingly greater total retail area, but growth was weaker over the last five years: the number of stores increased by 55 per cent to 62, and the combined retail area rose by 74 per cent to 429 000 m².
Czechia, Hungary an Poland in figures(.pdf-Datei zum Herunterladen)
Developments over the last five years(.pdf-Datei zum Herunterladen)
Czechia
The Czech DIY retail scene is dominated by operators from Germany. The only company not based in Germany is the Austrian market leader Baumax. It is also the only company that has disclosed its sales figures for Czechia. These reveal that Baumax made sales of € 157 mio with 23 outlets in 2004.
In 2004 there was no great amount of growth in Czechia. Only one DIY outlet was added to the total, a store in Hodonin with a retail area of 7 757 m² opened by Obi in December. Globus carried out a revaluation of its outlets and now lists one large-format DIY department of a hypermarket as a DIY store. Consequently the company had seven DIY stores at the end of 2004 instead of six, and four rather than five large-format DIY departments (3 460 m² to 5 562 m²) in its hypermarkets. However, this revaluation has not affected the overall total of outlets and retail area in any way. So the year 2004 saw expansion almost at a standstill, but for this year Baumax is planning new openings…