Growth for Obi, especially abroad

A figure of € 5.28 bn is put on Obi's total gross sales in the corporate annual report. This amounts to an increase of 6.5 per cent over 2004/2005. Of the Obi Group's total sales, € 2.6 bn are included in the gross consolidated sales of the Tengelmann group. The remaining shares of sales are attributable to franchisees who have a majority holding in their company. In its home country the German DIY market leader recorded a turnover of € 3.50 bn, or 1.4 per cent more than the previous financial year. This despite the fact that the number of stores in Germany has gone down from 340 to 337. The overall number of stores (excluding the 13 Chinese stores that have been sold) has risen slightly. The company's future growth is expected to concentrate on the east European states, in particular on Russia and Ukraine, where a franchise centre has been opened in Kiev. Consideration is being given to entering the Croatian market. What is more, it is hoped that a reorientation of the buying process will result in improvements to buying terms and lower buying costs. The company now employs a workforce of 37 074 compared with 38 553 last year.