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Rath near Düsseldorf is where OBI is presenting its new concept, which shifts the emphasis more towards home living. Wermelskirchen has furniture stores à la Ikea in its sights
The retail multiple stresses that its new OBI DIY store, which opened at the end of November and is situated in north Düsseldorf, is presenting itself “from a previously non-existent side”. It is immediately obvious in the entrance area that this is less a traditional DIY store and more a “home living” store with an affiliated garden paradise. What hits you in the eye immediately is the impressive Kohler sanitaryware display, which adjoins a comprehensive presentation of products from the category of “wellness”. One striking feature is the way that the racking height has been greatly reduced throughout the store. The focus here is clearly on visual merchandising, with spaces that appear generous and bright.
A first for OBI: Parador and Haro, the two specialist systems for professionals.
Exclusion of heavyside products
This is why heavy goods and those that require a great deal of packaging have been left out of the store at Rath almost completely. The goods collection counter complete with warehouse that is attached to the home living store stocks around 1 000 articles on an area of approx. 2 000 m2. There is a covered loading bay for cars and lorries in front of the goods collection area. A total of 123 employees work at the Rath OBI store, which boasts a retail area of 14 000 m2. The garden centre alone is around 4 000 m2 in size.
Striking new display of chairs at Düsseldorf.
Much time and thought has been invested in the development of new ideas for presenting the goods throughout the DIY store, even the familiar “hard” DIY products. Whole new categories have been added as well. One impressive introduction is a vertical display of chairs – a total of about 80 types of chair are available. Represented here for the first time in the range of products in an OBI DIY superstore are professional brands such as Haro and Parador. In another first for OBI, the store’s timber studio operates a 3-D beamer, which is used to allow structures like timber wall and ceiling cladding (perhaps in combination with a variety of window decorations and different colours for the walls) to be projected three-dimensionally – that is, in plastic form and almost life-sized.
New customer guidance system on the floor.
Decorating department as pride of the store
The tiling studio in the store can supply 150 different kinds of tile immediately and a further 400 can be ordered and delivered to customers within up to three days. In the paint studio you can mix almost any shade of colour imaginable. It is possible to scan in the colour of your favourite tie, for example, then analyse its colour composition and have the desired shade created in the paint mixer.
Store manager Wolfgang Geimer is extremely proud of the decoration range in his realm. This is where OBI’s slogan, “Create your world as you like it!”, comes into play, specially in view of the wealth of colours, shapes and materials available, not to mention the drapes, net curtains and wallpapers, plus floor coverings and wall or ceiling finishes. “We are happy to supply an expert to do the measuring on-site for those who come without the right measurements, or who are undecided about their choice,” declares Geimer. “And furthermore, we can then also make the soft furnishings to order.” At the end of the process the customer service programme includes installation of the curtain hanging systems and actually putting them up as well.
Mouth-watering fresh produce in the checkout area at Rath.
Traders moving closer together
At the opening Manfred Maus, chairman of the OBI board, pointed out the fact that various branches of the retail trade are developing towards each other. Furniture stores now frequently offer products in many categories (garden and self- assembly furniture, decorative lines) that can also be found in DIY and garden stores. However, the latter are tending more and more to move into the traditional areas previously occupied by the furniture and housewares segment. Good examples of this are provided by the display of chairs in the Rath store, or the housewares section there as well.
The presentation of structural elements is both lavish and novel.
A first for OBI: Parador and Haro, the two specialist systems for professionals.
Exclusion of heavyside products
This is why heavy goods and those that require a great deal of packaging have been left out of the store at Rath almost completely. The goods collection counter complete with warehouse that is attached to the home living store stocks around 1 000 articles on an area of approx. 2 000 m2. There is a covered loading bay for cars and lorries in front of the goods collection area. A total of 123 employees work at the Rath OBI store, which boasts a retail area of 14 000 m2. The garden centre alone is around 4 000 m2 in size.
Striking new display of chairs at Düsseldorf.
Much time and thought has been invested in the development of new ideas for presenting the goods throughout the DIY store, even the familiar “hard” DIY products. Whole new categories have been added as well. One impressive introduction is a vertical display of chairs – a total of about 80 types of chair are available. Represented here for the first time in the range of products in an OBI DIY superstore are professional brands such as Haro and Parador. In another first for OBI, the store’s timber studio operates a 3-D beamer, which is used to allow structures like timber wall and ceiling cladding (perhaps in combination with a variety of window decorations and different colours for the walls) to be projected three-dimensionally – that is, in plastic form and almost life-sized.
New customer guidance system on the floor.
Decorating department as pride of the store
The tiling studio in the store can supply 150 different kinds of tile immediately and a further 400 can be ordered and delivered to customers within up to three days. In the paint studio you can mix almost any shade of colour imaginable. It is possible to scan in the colour of your favourite tie, for example, then analyse its colour composition and have the desired shade created in the paint mixer.
Store manager Wolfgang Geimer is extremely proud of the decoration range in his realm. This is where OBI’s slogan, “Create your world as you like it!”, comes into play, specially in view of the wealth of colours, shapes and materials available, not to mention the drapes, net curtains and wallpapers, plus floor coverings and wall or ceiling finishes. “We are happy to supply an expert to do the measuring on-site for those who come without the right measurements, or who are undecided about their choice,” declares Geimer. “And furthermore, we can then also make the soft furnishings to order.” At the end of the process the customer service programme includes installation of the curtain hanging systems and actually putting them up as well.
Mouth-watering fresh produce in the checkout area at Rath.
Traders moving closer together
At the opening Manfred Maus, chairman of the OBI board, pointed out the fact that various branches of the retail trade are developing towards each other. Furniture stores now frequently offer products in many categories (garden and self- assembly furniture, decorative lines) that can also be found in DIY and garden stores. However, the latter are tending more and more to move into the traditional areas previously occupied by the furniture and housewares segment. Good examples of this are provided by the display of chairs in the Rath store, or the housewares section there as well.
The presentation of structural elements is both lavish and novel.
