Trollhättan / Bornheim, June 29, 2021. Hornbach is pressing ahead with its expansion in Sweden. The first examples of its new type of project store opened in Borås and Kristianstad in 2018 and 2019 will be joined today by a third location in Trollhättan, a town with 60,000 inhabitants located 75 kilometers north of Gothenburg. On sales areas of more than 9,000 square meters*, DIY enthusiasts and commercial customers have direct access to around 25,000 articles at the store. Via mobile appliances and stationary terminals, they can also order 60,000 articles via Hornbach’s online shop and, if need be, have these delivered to the store in Trollhättan. Hornbach Byggmarknad AB has let the property for 12 years and invested 47 million Swedish crowns in the location. More than 50 employees are on site to provide customers with advice and services.
“With their strong sales growth, the seven stores in Sweden played a significant role in our exceptionally successful performance in the past financial year”, explained Erich Harsch, CEO of Hornbach Baumarkt AG. “We were particularly pleased with the performance of the two cutting-edge project stores in Borås and Kristianstad. In conjunction with our online shop, this new format has proven highly effective and very popular with customers. We aim to latch onto this success in Trollhättan as well.”
Digital services in great demand due to coronavirus pandemic
Unlike in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, Hornbach’s stores in Sweden were not affected by closures or severe restrictions on sales during the pandemic. “Since the onset of coronavirus, our stores have witnessed a substantial rise in demand for projects in people’s apartments, houses, and gardens. In parallel, customers have also made ever greater use of our digital services”, adds Oliver Garrecht, Country Manager for Hornbach Baumarkt AG in Sweden. “The option of reserving goods online and then collecting them freshly picked at the store soon afterwards is now available in Sweden as well. At the moment, shopping has to be as fast and contact-free as possible in order to avoid infection. As a result, large numbers of customers have drawn on this click & collect service. We expect demand for this to remain high once the pandemic ends as well. When planning our new Trollhättan store, we directly made all preparations needed for smooth operating processes. Not only that, this service will remain free of charge in future as well.”
Project stores convince customers with numerous services and convenient drive-in facilities
Even though it has smaller sales areas than the five large city stores in Gothenburg, Stockholm, Malmö, and Helsingborg, the Hornbach store in Trollhättan will, just like its counterparts in Borås and Kristianstad, offer customers numerous products for their construction and renovation projects. The integrated drive-in facility means that these products are also quickly and conveniently available in larger quantities. Alongside the drive-in facility, other highlights at the new store include the paint competence center and the machinery and tool department with a product range that will also satisfy the needs of professional customers. Hornbach aims to further convince customers with numerous services, such as its timber cutting, paint mixing, and trailer and transporter hire services. “We can offer customers products and services that are absolutely unmatched in this region”, explains Iwona Migdal who, as store manager, leads the 50-strong team in Trollhättan and previously held the same position at the locations in Borås and Stockholm-Botkyrka. “The whole team has prepared intensively for today’s opening and now cannot wait to get started with offering customers the best possible support for all their projects.”
The Hornbach store in Trollhättan is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
*Weighted by BHB sector association standard: around 6,000 square meters
