In brief

Rautakesko’s plans for Russia Rautakesko, the DIY retail division of the Finnish trading group Kesko, is currently constructing three new K-rauta stores in Russia. One of the stores is expected to open in St Petersburg in April, and two others in Moscow later in the year. Moreover, there are plans for ten more new outlets, to be launched between 2012 and 2015. At present the company operates twelve stores in Russia, with recent annual sales of € 204 mio and an increase of 20.5 per cent. Sales growth to € 800 mio is expected by the end of 2015. New member in Russia Start, a Russian DIY chain, is a new member of EDRA, the European DIY Retail Association. The chain was founded in 2006 and currently has six stores in Saint Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Samara, Voronezh and Ufa. EDRA gives a figure of 40 000 m² for the chain’s combined retail area. Annual sales amount to around US $ 70 mio, and the stores carry a range of 55 000 products. Start is the fourth member of EDRA’s Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN) in Russia, giving the association an overall total of 30 members. Stroilandia store network stretching to the Volga Stroilandia, a DIY retailer from the southern Urals, intends to expand into the Volga area, where it plans to open up to three new stores by 2011. Discussions are currently being held with eight municipal authorities, including those of Saratov, Magnitigorsk and Samara. The new stores are expected to be from 3 000 m² to 5 000 m² in size and to cost around RUB 35 mio (approx. € 900 000) each. Stroilandia has been in existence since 1996. Its network of branches, which is concentrated in and around Orenburg, currently comprises 14 DIY stores between 1 000 m² and 30 000 m² in size and one furniture store. The company’s logistics centre in Orenburg is in the process of being expanded from 25 000 m² to a capacity of 40 000 m². Figures provided by the company itself reveal sales growth just short of 17 per cent in 2010, while an increase of 27 per cent is envisaged for 2011. Extension of the international Praktiker network The German Praktiker group is extending its presence in Poland and Greece. This will result in the Polish network growing by three stores to 25 outlets. The new stores are between 6 000 m² and 9 000 m² in size. The expansion in Greece is being concentrated on intermediate centres beyond the major conurbations with two new stores in a small format of around 3 400 m². “We are investing in Greece because it is still a very profitable…