OB

OBI (OBI) is a European retail chain selling DIY goods. While most stores are owned and operated by OBIs, some are operated under a franchise agreement. The franchise has performed well in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In countries such as Russia or Ukraine, OBI creates joint ventures, which makes it much faster and easier to develop a network of shopping centers with the help of a local partner. OBI is one of the European leaders in the DIY segment. Currently, 525 OBI stores have been opened, 331 of which are located in Germany and 194 in 12 countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

History

2022

Another change of ownership

At the end of December 2022, the Module-2 company (its share is 90%) and businessman Walid Korchagin (10%) became the new owners of the Russian network of OBI hypermarkets. On January 9, 2023, Vedomosti wrote about this with reference to the data of the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRUL). It follows from it that Module-2 LLC belongs to Marina Midova, president of the Association of Wholesale and Retail Markets.

The association was created by the companies TD Usachevsky, TK Yuzhny, Kiselevsky Market and others associated with the Sindika holding of the ex-president of Kabardino-Balkaria and Senator Arsen Kanokov, follows from the SPARK data. Midova was related to other structures of this group, the newspaper notes. So, until 2015, she led the Melcooptal market of the Tambov Cold Processing Plant (the owner by January 2023 is Artur Kardanov).

Russian OBI hypermarkets changed their owners for the third time in a year

Kardanov, together with Kanokov's wife Fatima, owns the Sindika-MKAD company, which owned the Sindika construction market that burned down in 2017. Korchagin owns a 21.25% stake in Arena.

According to Mikhail Burmistrov, General Director of Infoline Analytics, the size of the deal to sell the OBI network to Module-2 and businessman Walid Korchagin could not exceed 200-300 million rubles. According to the publication, citing a source, the asset was transferred from the intermediary to the new owners. According to him, the asset was owned by an intermediary. He did not give other details of the deal.

According to Burmistrov, OBI by the beginning of January 2023 retains the need for investments both to restore the assortment and inventory, and to pay off accumulated debts. Burmistrov explains Sindika's interest in OBI by the fact that this network is still a strong brand. If it can be preserved, even in a sound-modified form, then the new owner has enough resources to restore the business of this company, the expert believes.^[1]

Fire in a hypermarket located in Khimki

On the morning of December 9, 2022, a fire broke out in the OBI hypermarket, part of the Mega Khimki shopping center complex, as a result of which the retailer's store and warehouse were almost completely destroyed.

It is specified that only the supporting structures of the frame remained from OBI. By, to data TASS the fire from the hypermarket did not switch to the rest of the shopping center.

According to the channel Telegram"112," a security guard of a shopping center died in a fire. The regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed this. information Telegram channel Mash writes that at the time the fire started, there were people in the building - eyewitnesses said that they were evacuated from the other side of the shopping center immediately after the alarm sound.

The cause of the fire was welding in the extension to the building, a source in the emergency services told TASS. As a version, the agency's interlocutors also called a short circuit. A RIA Novosti source in the emergency services says that arson is also considered as the main version of the cause of the fire.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations near Moscow reported that it received a notice of fire at 5:59 am. By 8:00 Moscow time, the OBI building was already burning completely (an area of ​ ​ 18 thousand square meters), a source in emergency services told TASS. The fire was localized on an area of ​ ​ 7 thousand square meters. m.

Extinguishing is complicated by the design features of the building and the collapse of the roof, an interlocutor in the emergency services told RIA Novosti. Due to the collapse of the roof and instant oxygen access, the fire quickly spread to a large area, the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations explained to Interfax. By 11:00, the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced the elimination of open burning in the hypermarket.

Insurance damage from a large-scale fire in the Mega Khimki shopping center near Moscow will be a record - about 20-30 billion rubles. This was announced to RIA Novosti by the All-Russian Union of Insurers (VSS).^[2]

The company sold for 1 euro. Control received Josef Liokumovich

In July 2022, the OBI business was sold for 1 euro. A controlling stake was received by businessman Josef Liokumovich, another 40% passed to the MAX group of companies.

Resumption of work in Russia

On April 26, 2022, it was announced that the OBI hypermarket chain was resuming its work in Russia. Until May 11, all 27 hypermarkets will resume their activities.

The German OBI denied this, saying that stores would remain closed.

Transfer of business in Russia to Boris Lyuboshits trust management

On April 12, 2022, it was announced that Obi GmbH was transferring its Russian business, the Obi chain of stores, to Boris Lyuboshits, founder of the Audit Group consulting group and Cesar Consulting legal agency.

This was announced by Dmitry Galantsev, partner of the law firm "Propozitum." He clarifies that in the future the retailer's business in Russia will be transferred to a Russian investor, who will develop the company in the country, most likely with the gradual abandonment of the Obi trademark.

Conflict between management and German shareholder against the background of Russia's special operation in Ukraine

In April 2022, Russian managers of the OBI chain of construction and household goods hypermarkets had a conflict with the majority shareholder, the German holding OBI, due to the resumption of stores in Russia. Against the background of the special operation of Russia in Ukraine and the subsequent EU sanctions, employees were disconnected by the corporate systems (cash registers, servers) of the Germans, but they were able to restore them in parallel. It was reported that it is possible that the company's self-capture may occur. Earlier, OBI wanted to sell to management for 1 ruble.

2021: TAdviser interview with "First Form" system administrator

In May 2021, questions TAdviser on automating the conclusion of contracts with suppliers of goods and others business processes based on the First Form system were answered by the Golovina Victoria head of the Commercial Support Department, and Andrei Yechin, administrator, system "First Form" a chain construction of DIY hypermarkets. " OB Russia Read more here [1]

2017

As of December 2017, the OBI retail chain in Russia has 27 hypermarkets located in 13 regions of the country, with a total number of employees of about 5500 people and more than 260 thousand square meters of retail space. In addition to a wide range of products, including its own brands, the chain offers customers more than 26 types of service - from professional consulting to repairs.

Notes