British Kingfisher opens six new Brico Depot rebranded stores in Romania

British group Kingfisher will inaugurate six new stores under the Brico Depot brand in Romania, on Friday October 17, part of the group’s strategy to rebrand the former Bricostore do-it-yourself stores which it acquired last year. Kingfisher bought the Bricostore network with a total of 15 stores in spring 2013, for EUR 75 million. The group then started a rebranding process and opened the first two Brico Depot stores which replaced the Bricostore units in Pantelimon and Orhideea, earlier this year. The new units recorded an increase in sales, according to Kingfisher representatives, which prompted them to accelerate the rebranding process. The new Brico Depot stores to be opened are located in Chiajna (close to Bucharest’s Militari neighborhood), Ploiesti, Pitesti, Brasov, Arad and Oradea. Transformation work on these stores started at the end of August and was finished on a record schedule. “Our teams were very efficient in completing the transformation works for the six stores which add to the two units already operating in Bucharest, so now we can proudly say that we have a number of eight Brico Dépôt outlets countrywide,” said Patrick Papot, Deputy CEO of Brico Dépôt Romania. “We will continue this transformation process with the remaining stores, for which the renovation work will begin by the first half of 2015,” he added. The new Brico Depot store format has a lower product range and is more focused on construction than on decoration and gardening items. Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com