Croatia

The total available retail area in Croatia increased by 34 per cent to 77 500 m² in 2004. There was a change to the DIY retail landscape when Bricostore entered the market in 2004. The company originated in France and has now opened a first store of 10 000 m² in Split. Also on record is growth for the Slovenian company Merkur, which increased its total number of stores from four to six. The figure for Bauhaus outlets remained unchanged, and Baumax had no new openings in 2004 either. The Austrian market leader has no intention of expanding its network of branches in Croatia until 2006, when new openings are scheduled for Zagreb, Split and Pula. The logo of the Belgian voluntary group Crea Home has disappeared
from the Croatian market, where there had been four stores in operation.