German franchise and cooperation landscape on the move

There are currently shifts in the German DIY franchise and cooperation landscape to the detriment of the specialist trade cooperative Hagebau. At the turn of the year, the Hagebau shareholder Gillet left the cooperative with its DIY store under the Hagebaumarkt brand and switched to Obi; with 23,000 m², it was one of the largest Hagebaumarkt stores and is now one of the largest Obi stores in Germany. Now another Hagebau shareholder has announced its switch to Obi: the Thies group is converting its two Hagebaumarkt locations to Obi at the turn of the year 2025/2026. Industry experts expect further transfers from Hagebau to Obi. In addition, a shareholder of the building materials trade cooperation Eurobaustoff took over the Hagebaumarkt store and the building materials trade of a Hagebau member at the beginning of the year. The location will continue to operate under the I&M building…