“Obi next” coming, Alemagna going

Obi, the market leader in Germany and number three DIY store group in Europe, is adopting a new corporate strategy with immediate effect. The aim is "to make a big leap in transforming Obi into the leading customer-centric Xchannel home improvement player," according to a company press release today. As part of the reorientation, board member Paolo Alemagna is leaving the company.
For developing and trialling the new offering, a new unit with the name "Obi next" is being created, which will be located on a campus in Cologne. The first national market in which the new business model will be implemented and trialled is Austria. As soon as the elements developed prove successful, they are to be introduced throughout the company. Heading the "Obi next" unit in Cologne as well as the entire Austrian operation of the DIY store operator will be Sebastian Gundel.