The shutdown of the three units comes after Kingfisher had been closing down its three Praktiker stores in Focsani, Bacau and Ploiesti, respectively, since the start of 2018. Consequently, the Praktiker chain will be left with 20 stores which will be rebranded as Brico Depot, the other brand operated by Kingfisher Group in Romania, until the spring of 2019. Thus, the Praktiker brand will vanish from the market throughout a process to be carried out in several stages.
Kingfisher owns in Romania the do-it-yourself store chains Praktiker and Brico Depot. Kingfisher entered the Romanian market in 2013, by acquiring Bricostore units, which were subsequently rebranded as Brico Depot.
Kingfisher bought Prakti¬ker stores from Turkish businessman Omer Susli in the summer of 2017. Susli had bought the stores in 2014, when Praktiker AG, the parent company of the German group, was insolvent. The deal was estimated at nearly EUR50 million and was completed in December 2017.
Praktiker and Brico Depot operate on the DIY market valued at EUR3 billion annually. Dedeman, held by Dragos and Adrian Paval brothers, holds the top spot on the Romanian DIY market.