Bosnia-Herzegovina

In 2004 there were scarcely any changes in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Obi is still the only organised large-format DIY operator in this small country. As was the case at the end of 2003 already, the year when the German franchise group entered the market in Bosnia-Herzegovina, its logo could be seen on two DIY stores. One of these operates in Sarajevo, an outlet 4 308 m² in size that includes a garden centre of 430 m². The second store is located in Mostar and has an overall retail area of 5 608 m², with a garden centre accounting for 882 m² of the total. Another German DIY retailer, Ambo, also started up in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2003, where it opened a first store of 1 200 m² in Sarajevo, which was originally scheduled for extension. However, the company has meanwhile closed down, in Germany as well. The country’s economy is growing by almost 6 per cent, but the unemployment figure is still very high at around 40 per cent.