The Bundeskartellamt, Germany's competition authority, has granted clearance for HORNBACH Baumarkt AG to acquire six locations from the insolvent HELLWEG Die Profi-Bau- & Gartenmärkte GmbH & Co. KG. This decision was made during a preliminary review process.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt, stated that the merger poses no competitive concerns, as there are sufficient alternative hardware stores and specialty markets available for customers near the six HELLWEG locations.

HELLWEG previously operated 113 hardware and garden markets under the HELLWEG and BayWa Bau & Garten brands across Germany. The stores are primarily located in the Rhine-Ruhr area, Berlin, and southern Germany. An insolvency procedure was initiated for HELLWEG in June 2026.

HORNBACH is one of Germany's leading operators of hardware and garden markets, with around 100 locations domestically and a presence in several European countries.

The approved merger involves the acquisition of six HELLWEG locations in Dortmund-Kley, Essen-Borbeck, Ahrensfelde, Freiberg, Augustin, and Berlin-Köpenick.

The relevant competitive markets were defined based on actual customer demand behavior, which was assessed through customer card data and surveys. It was found that the catchment areas of hardware stores vary depending on store size, population density, and transport links, rather than being determined by rigid radii.