Germany’s competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt, has approved Hornbach Baumarkt’s acquisition of six DIY stores from the insolvent Hellweg group.
The clearance covers six locations operated by Hellweg and BayWa Bau & Garten, both based in Dortmund, Germany, and owned by the Semer family.
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The branches are in Ahrensfelde, Berlin-Köpenick, Dortmund-Kley, Essen-Borbeck, Freiberg, and St Augustin.
Hellweg operated 113 DIY stores and garden centres in Germany under the Hellweg and BayWa Bau & Garten brands before entering insolvency proceedings under self-administration in June 2026.
Its stores are mainly concentrated in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, the Berlin area, and southern Germany.
Hornbach has around 100 branches in Germany, as well as stores in other European countries.
In its review, the regulator used consumer loyalty card data and customer surveys to identify relevant geographic markets based on purchasing patterns.
It said DIY store catchment areas differ according to store size, population density, and transport links, meaning fixed geographic radii do not accurately define market boundaries.
Bundeskartellamt president Andreas Mundt said: “The merger does not give rise to competition concerns. Customers have sufficient other DIY and specialist stores available to them as alternatives in the vicinity of each of the six Hellweg stores.”
Earlier this month, the authority also cleared Bauhaus to acquire eight DIY stores from the insolvent Hellweg group.
Bauhaus operates around 290 locations in Germany and other European countries.
In February, the authority blocked Amazon’s price controls on third-party sellers and demanded repayment of approximately €59m ($69.6m).
The Bundeskartellamt said it had prohibited Amazon and Amazon EU from shaping prices charged by merchants on the Amazon.de Marketplace.
The regulator stated that such price intervention was permissible solely under regulatory conditions and in restricted circumstances such as cases of excessive pricing.
