Local media: DIY retailer Leroy Merlin interested in buying several Baumax and Obi units in Romania

French home-improvement and gardening retailer Leroy Merlin would be interested in buying three Baumax units and one Obi store in Romania, sources from the market told local Wall-street.ro. The two retailers might exit the Romanian market due to losses recorded in the region. “The Do-it-Yourself market is experiencing a period of metamorphosis and 2014 could be a year of mergers and acquisitions in this area. After the announcement of an exit from Baumax and OBI, there has been an increased interest from retailers to take over the two companies’ operations; French Leroy Merlin would wat to buy four units across the country, three Baumax and one from Obi,” according to the unnamed sources. However, when contacted by Wall-street.ro, Cristian Petrescu, the retailer’s expansion director in Romania, said that the company is currently focusing its investment efforts on developing its own projects in key locations in Bucharest and across the country. According to him, Leroy Merlin will open a new 13,000 sqm store in Craiova this June. Sources from the market recently told local Mediafax that the German do-it-yourself retailer Obi is preparing to withdraw from the Romanian market this year, after recording losses every year starting 2008, when it opened its first local store. Also,Baumax will close its seven outlets in Turkey and may exit other markets in southeast Europe. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com