Home goods will be called at home - Newspaper Kommersant No. 186 (7387) of 10/07/2022
The Russian stores of the OBI DIY network created in Germany are preparing for rebranding. Possible new outlet names HOBI and OBBI. Changing the sign for the new owner of the company is a forced step, he must do it within six months after the transfer of assets by the German owner of the network. However, experts expect a complete rebranding not earlier than next year.
The Russian legal entity of the OBI DIY network at the end of September filed an application for registration of the HOBI trademark, and at the beginning of October - OBBI, found “Kommersant” in the Rospatent database. The company also registered a new domain h-obi.ru. OBI told Kommersant that they are considering various scenarios for the further development of the business, and the main priority for today is increasing sales.
The German DIY chain OBI GmbH entered the Russian market in 2003. In March 2022, the company's headquarters announced the suspension of stores in Russia due to the military operation in Ukraine. In April, the transfer of the Russian business to trust management was announced. According to SPARK-Interfax, MAX Group became the owner of the Russian business. OBI outlets resumed work in Russia at the end of April. The total revenue of all Russian OBI assets in 2021 amounted to RUB 48.57 billion, with a net loss of RUB 2.44 billion. The DIY network has 27 hypermarkets in 14 Russian cities.
The use of the OBI brand is temporary, the company plans to gradually relaunch hypermarkets under the new brand, according to the retail chain's website. One Story partner Olga Sumishevskaya notes that after the asset transfer deal, OBI in Russia had about six months to use the current trademark.
According to Vasily Zuev, Head of the Intellectual Property Practice at the Intellectual Capital law firm, from a legal point of view, there will be no problems in the possible renaming of OBI to HOBI if there is a written consent from the owner of the original trademark. Otherwise, the German network may initiate administrative or legal proceedings, the expert explains.
Taking into account the deadlines for registering trademarks with Rospatent, the renaming of the network can be expected no earlier than 2023, says Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline-Analytics. He does not rule out that the company will file several more applications with Rospatent. At the same time, the expert draws attention to the fact that HOBI appeals to the history of the network: the name OBI came from the French transcription of the word hobby.
The main rebranding investments will involve the replacement of store signs and marketing activities, Olga Sumishevskaya believes. According to Mr. Burmistrov, the volume of investments in the renaming of the network can range from 1.5-2 million rubles. one hypermarket.
After the resumption of work, the OBI network faced a drop in traffic at some outlets, a shortage of inventory, lawsuits from suppliers and landlords, recalls Ms. Sumishevskaya. According to Mikhail Burmistrov, OBI continues to form a new team and strategy, so the first results of their activities should not be expected until the end of this year.
Over the past six months, sales in the DIY goods market have decreased by 3%, Olga Sumishevskaya notes. According to Mikhail Burmistrov, sales of building and finishing materials in the last week of September and the first week of October decreased by 15% yoy.
The DIY market is feeling the consequences of IKEA leaving Russia: suppliers of goods for the retailer are starting to enter marketplaces, but the volume of supply of goods is not yet so high. Mr. Burmistrov connects the fall in sales with the desire of consumers to save money, observed since the spring, as well as with the announcement of partial mobilization.
