The Czech Republic is dominated by several large players in the field of hobby markets, furniture and sporting goods. These companies not only provide a wide range of products but also have a strong market position due to their extensive store network and effective marketing strategies. Who owns and controls them?
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Hobby markets
Baumax
Austrian DIY chain Baumax, founded and long owned by the Essl family, ran into financial difficulties, leading to its bank creditors deciding to sell it off. Most of the branches, especially those in Austria, were taken over by the competing OBI chain. A smaller part of the company, including 18 out of 24 stores in the Czech Republic, was bought by the Polish chain Merkury Market, whose owner is Jan Papierz, who is regularly listed by Forbes magazine as one of the hundred richest Poles. Although there has been a change of ownership, the stores in the Czech Republic continue to operate under the original brand Baumax.
Bauhaus
This German chain of hobby markets, which has its headquarters in Switzerland, was owned by a German billionaire until 2016 Heinz-Georg Baus. After his death, ownership passed to a family foundation that now manages his business empire.
Hornbach
Hornbach is a chain of DIY stores managed by the German company Hornbach Baumarkt. The majority share of the company, over 76% of the shares, is held by Hornbach Holding, which is controlled by the founding family. This family continues the business established by Michael Hornbach in 1877 when he opened his first workshop. The rest of the shares, almost 24%, were previously publicly traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, however in 2022 these shares were withdrawn from public trading by the majority owner.
BOTH
Hobbymarket OBI, which is known for its wide range of goods for home and garden, is under the control of the family business Tengelmann Group. This company has its headquarters in the German city of Mülheim an der Ruhr and holds a majority stake in it, namely 74%. The main shareholder of the Tengelmann Group is Christian Haub, while his brother Georg Haub owns the remaining part of the shares. In addition to OBI, the Tengelmann Group’s portfolio also includes the well-known discount chains Tedi and Kik, which further expands business interests the Haub family in the retail sector.
Uni Hobby
The company Uni Hobby, as is a major player on the market selling goods for the household, garden and construction industry in the Czech Republic. This company was founded on July 23, 2010 and since then has built a strong position on the market with more than 10 stores throughout the Czech Republic. The owner is the Unimex Group, which is controlled by a Czech billionaire Jiří Šimánin addition to Uni Hobby, he also deals with real estate and tourism (he owns the airline Smartwings).
Mountfield
Ivan Drbohlav founded the company Mountfield in 1991 in Mnichovice, Central Bohemia, where he started selling lawnmowers. Although the firm was sold to the Hong Kong company Eurasia Development Group Limited in 2016, in 2019 the shares returned to Drbohlav’s hands due to non-payment by the Hong Kong firm. There is speculation that Drbohlav never completely lost control of the company.
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Chain with furniture
IKEA
IKEA, the Swedish furniture giant, was founded By Ingvar Kamprad. This brand is now a key part of the IKEA Group, under the holding company INGKA Holding BV, which is owned by the Stichting INGKA foundation established by Ingvar Kamprad. Kamprad designed the company’s structure to avoid the possibility that his heirs or managers could take over it. The trademarks, franchise model and other intellectual property are owned by Inter IKEA Holding, which is controlled by the Liechtenstein-based Interogo Foundation. This thoughtful system ensured that IKEA remained stable and independent of individual interests.
Möbelix
The Möbelix brand, belonging to the concern XXXLutz, has been operating on the Czech market since 2008. The first Czech store under the XXXLutz banner was opened two years later. In 2019, XXXLutz expanded on the Czech market by taking over the stores of its competitor Kika, thus strengthening its position in the furniture market.
XXXLutz
The XXXLutz retail chain, which was founded in 1945 by Austrian entrepreneur Gertrude Seifert, still retains its family character thanks to the ownership of the Seifert family. All company shares are deposited in private foundations: WSF, founded by Richard Seifert, and LSW, founded by Andreas Seifert. Richard Seifert died in 2017, his son took over Michael Seifert.
Jysk
The Danish chain Jysk, specializing in furniture and homeware, is known for its Scandinavian roots. The company is part of the Lars Larsen Group, which is owned by the family of the founder Lars Larsen, one of the most important Danish businessmen. After his death in 2019, his son Jacob Brunsborg took over. It has been operating on the Czech market since 2003 and currently has more than 100 stores.
Sources: chain websites
