The German competition authority cleared, in its preliminary review, OBI’s planned acquisition of the leases for 11 DIY store locations operated by HELLWEG Die Profi-Bau- & Gartenmärkte and BayWa Bau- und Gartenmärkte. HELLWEG entered insolvency proceedings under self-administration in June 2026.

The locations are in Halberstadt, Steinfurt, Mechernich, Münster-Gievenbeck, Nördlingen, Wolfratshausen, Murnau and Leimbach-Kaiseroda, as well as three stores in Berlin: Yorckstraße, Tiergarten and Ostbahnhof. HELLWEG most recently operated 113 DIY and garden stores in Germany under the HELLWEG and BayWa Bau & Garten brands.

The authority found no competition concerns, concluding that customers around the 11 locations would continue to have sufficient alternatives among other DIY stores and specialist retailers. It assessed the relevant markets regionally, using customer-card data and customer surveys to understand actual shopping patterns. The authority noted that store catchment areas vary with factors such as store size, population density and transport links, and cannot be defined using fixed-radius boundaries.

OBI operates around 350 stores in Germany and additional locations elsewhere in Europe. It belongs to the Tengelmann group, which has more than 50 investments in Europe and North America, including discount clothing retailer KiK.