The HORNBACH Group is characterized by its ability to respond to the challenges of trading in DIY, home improvement and garden products, and to set new standards in the process.

Since 1877, five generations of the HORNBACH family have been active in almost all areas of the construction sector – in the building trade, as manufacturers of prefabricated components and since 1900 as builders' merchants.

As one of the pioneers in Germany and Europe, HORNBACH opened its first DIY store in 1968 and combined it with a garden center – at its time unique in Europe. This combination has since developed to become a European standard in the DIY sector today.

In the second half of the 80s, and especially since 1990, HORNBACH has added a new dimension to the market with its concept of large DIY and home improvement megastores with garden centers. Today, an impressively presented range of around 50,000 top quality DIY and gardening articles is available to DIY customers in spacious stores and at permanently low prices. Well-trained, service-oriented employees make project customers the focus of their activities. At the balance sheet reporting date on February 28, 2007, HORNBACH-Baumarkt-AG operated 120 DIY megastores with garden centers across Europe with total sales areas of around 1.3 million square meters.

The consistent implementation of the company's concept, coupled with the high expectations it places in the quality of its locations, its stores, its product range and employees, have facilitated the dynamic growth witnessed by the company in recent years and form the basis for further expansion. With an average sales area of around 11,000 m² per store, HORNBACH has underlined its unique position in the DIY megastore with garden center segment and also has the highest level of sales area productivity of any of the leading DIY companies in Germany. The consolidated (net) sales of HORNBACH-Baumarkt-AG amounted to € 2,392 million in the 2006/2007 financial year.

Following the company's successful entry into the Austrian market in August 1996, it has consistently pressed ahead with its expansion into neighboring European countries. Stores have subsequently been opened in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic. The company's international growth has been maintained with its expansion to Switzerland, Sweden and Slovakia. The entry into the Rumanian market is due to follow in the summer of 2007. As of February 28, 2007, the company was operating a total of 31 DIY megastores with garden centers outside Germany, which accounted for around 36 % of consolidated sales in the 2006/2007 financial year. Its international share of sales will continue to grow in future. However, the Group will also continue to pursue growth opportunities in Germany.

HORNBACH-Baumarkt-AG is a publicly listed stock corporation. The ordinary shares in the company (ISIN DE0006084403) are listed on the German stock exchange and have been admitted to the subsection of the official market involving additional admissions obligations (the “Prime Standard”). Of approximately 15.5 million ordinary shares in the company, 78.4 % are held by HORNBACH HOLDING AG, while 16.3 % are owned by independent shareholders. The British retail group Kingfisher plc owned around 5.3 % of the shares at the reporting date.