OBI is a brick and mortar home improvement toy store founded in 1970 in Hamburg, Germany. It stands as the largest DIY retailer in Europe, and the third largest in the world. Notably, its one of the few sizeable, privately held companies in the sector that is not listed but owned by brand holding firm, Tengelmann Group. OBIs business model centers around providing a diverse range of DIY products and associated services to both private and commercial customers spread across multiple continents. Headquartered in Wermelskirchen, Germany the company exercises its omnichannel retailing with a strong online presence aside its physical shops. The brand’s historical and additional information can be found on its Wikipedia page.
Prominent competitors of OBI in the European market include Leroy Merlin, Bauhaus, and Hornbach. All three competitors, like OBI, operate through an omnichannel retail model to accommodate a broad consumer base. Based in France, Leroy Merlin offers home improvement and gardening equipment on an international scale. The company has a significant online presence with a comprehensive Wikipedia page providing deeper insights. Bauhaus is a Swiss cooperative which, similar to OBI, focuses on the DIY retail market and has its own Wikipedia page. Lastly, German-based Hornbach operates on a similar model with a fully detailed Wikipedia page.
When it comes to the importance of web scraped data for the OBI website, there are several key use cases. These include tracking prices and discounts across all competitors, predictive analysis to anticipate sales trends, and maximising business operations by aligning with current market trends. Respective data points offer a significant way to understand the competitive landscape, adjust pricing strategies, and identify potential opportunities for discounts or promotions. Harnessing such data also allows OBI to respond dynamically to fluctuations in the market, especially during high-demand periods or specific seasons. As a digitally enabled organization, OBI has the capacity to leverage this data to gain key insights, thereby improving its position in the highly competitive DIY retail market.