Tradition meets modernity: HORNBACH opens new DIY store and garden center at Alte Messe in Leipzig

Large DIY store and garden center with construction materials drive-in opens at Alte Messe in Leipzig on Wednesday, February 22 / sales areas of more than 17,500 square meters / Euro 55 million invested in developing the site / 95-strong team ensures competent advice

Leipzig/Bornheim (Palatinate), February 21, 2023. Around ten months after the groundbreaking ceremony, the new HORNBACH DIY store with a garden center and drive-in construction materials facility is set to open at the Alte Messe site at Richard-Lehmann-Strasse 117 in 04103 Leipzig tomorrow, Wednesday, February 22, 2023. On more than 17,500 square meters*, customers will find all they need for their projects, as well as for their balconies and gardens.

"I cannot think of any other DIY store in Germany with such an unusual façade or of any that fits in so well with the original townscape. One thing is for sure: This store is where tradition meets modernity. And I am sure our customers will really appreciate that", comments Erich Harsch, CEO of HORNBACH Baumarkt AG, at a press conference held to present the store.

The new HORNBACH store is located in what used to be Hall 17 at the historic exhibition site. The listed building has now been extensively renovated in such a way that most of the substance could be retained. Once the complex process of removing asbestos from the roof was finished, the foundation stone was laid in April 2022. Since then, the building work has been successfully completed in just ten months. "By opening this HORNBACH DIY store, we have managed to preserve substantial parts of a further exhibition hall at the Alte Messe in Leipzig and put this to sustainable new use," said Leipzig's Mayor for Building Works, Thomas Dienberg, enthusiastically. "That marks the next step as we transform the 50-hectare site of the former technical exhibition center into a vibrant new city district."

As well as preserving a historical building and retaining the original substance, other aspects, such as responsibility for the environment and society, also played a major role for HORNBACH. One example: The roof of the store is home to a large photovoltaics system. Here, around 1,000 solar panels have been installed on more than 1,600 square meters. These supply the store with its own electricity. Other roof sections have been covered in greenery and thus act as a protective layer offering good heat insulation. A large rainwater tank will provide water for the plants in the store and trees at the site. Car park users have the option of charging their electric vehicles at a state-of-the-art charging park operated with 100 percent green electricity supplied by Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft under its 123energie brand. Despite the extensive building work, many of the existing trees on the site have been retained. New habitats were created for birds and insects and a species conservation expert relocated two rare types of grasshopper who had made their home in the building to a compensation site provided by HORNBACH.

An investment in the future and a well-qualified team

The long-established company HORNBACH has invested more than Euro 55 million in developing the location. The team headed by Store Manager comprises 95 employees, 70 of which newly hired, with the others coming from neighboring HORNBACH stores, such as in Dübener Landstrasse in Leipzig or from Halle. Many of them have already been with HORNBACH for a very long time. "20 or 25 years of company affiliation are no rarity here. And that enables us to guarantee a quality of advice that sets standards in the sector", explains Andy Kunz, who as District Director will also be responsible for the store at the Alte Messe. "I am really passionate about this location and its people. We have a fantastic and really well-qualified team that is all ready to get started. With this team, our permanent low prices, our extensive product range, and our attractive services, our aim is to be the preferred DIY store and garden center for people here in Leipzig and the surrounding area", he adds.

Numerous specialist departments and an innovative product range offer endless inspiration

"At this location, we have been able to integrate all the innovations devised by HORNBACH in recent years. It is basically one of the most modern locations at the HORNBACH Group", explains Store Manager Matthias Bohnet. One of the highlights at the store is the drive-in construction materials facility, where several thousand products for projects in customers' homes and gardens are available in large quantities and can be loaded directly. They include materials such as sand, gravel, stone chippings, paving slabs, firewood, roof battens, bagged goods like cement and mortar, and construction timber. It could hardly be more convenient for professionals, home improvement enthusiasts, or gardening fans with great plans.

"For anyone wishing to give their bathroom a makeover, we have created one of the most modern project stations in Leipzig. We aim to convince people not just with our permanently low prices and our price guarantee, but also with our extensive range of services. From professional planning by qualified specialist advisors through to installation work by HORNBACH's trade service, we basically cover everything", adds Matthias Bohnet. Another key focus at the store is the large garden store on a space of around 5,000 square meters. Alongside a huge selection of plants, herbs, fruit trees, soils, and fertilizers, HORNBACH also offers a garden workshop, where new machines can be put into operation and older appliances inspected, maintained, and repaired. Not only that: There is a large aquarium facility with numerous types of ornamental fish and aquarium plants, as well as a wide selection of food, lighting technology, and other accessories. Other future attractions include the picture and framing gallery, the paint competence center, a new lighting study, attractive presentations of flooring, and a large window and door showroom where customers can try out and compare the doors in their original sizes.

Well-qualified contacts for tradespeople

Thanks to its generous opening hours, also on Saturdays, large stocks at favorable prices, wide product range and uncomplicated return of unused goods up to twelve weeks after the purchase, HORNBACH is also an attractive choice for professional customers. For tradespeople and commercial customers, professional customer advisors are available at a large information desk at the store, as well as by telephone, e-mail, or WhatsApp. Another advantage for commercial customers: By using their ProfiCard, which is valid throughout Germany, they benefit from a speedy, cash-free purchase.

HORNBACH stores in North of Leipzig and Halle (Saale) to stay open

Alongside the new DIY store and garden center at Alte Messe, HORNBACH will continue to operate its location in Dübener Landstrasse 7 in Leipzig. "We opened that store in 1991. Over the years, it has been repeatedly modernized and extended and is just as popular as ever. After all, it is not just colleagues who are loyal to HORNBACH. Particularly at this location, we have regular customers who have been visiting us for 30 years", explains HORNBACH's District Director Andy Kunz. In the Leipzig/Halle metropolitan region, HORNBACH also operates a store in Delitzscher Str. 54 in Halle (Saale). Together with the two Leipzig stores, more than 260 HORNBACH employees, including 18 trainees, are on hand to help customers in the metropolitan region.

Opening hours

The HORNBACH store at Alte Messe Leipzig is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays.

Further information about the HORNBACH Group

HORNBACH is an independent, family-run, and listed company. In the 2021/22 financial year (balance sheet date: February 28, 2022), it increased its (net) sales by 7.7 percent to Euro 5,875 billion. Founded in 1877, HORNBACH is the only DIY sector player with a history stretching back six generations. The Group currently operates 169 DIY stores and garden centers, two specialist retail stores, and online shops in nine countries across Europe. HORNBACH's sales concept and its product ranges are fully aligned to the needs of project and commercial customers. The company guarantees permanently low prices to its customers, making it the price leader in its sector. The high quality of advice and excellent service it provides to customers have been documented in numerous independent tests and studies. With pioneering achievements, such as the first combined DIY store and garden center (1968), the first megastore (1980), and the first DIY store with a drive-in facility (2003), HORNBACH has repeatedly demonstrated its power of innovation. The company has also acted as a jobs motor for decades, with more than 25,000 employees now working to advance its success.

*Weighted by BHB sector association standard: 13,716 square meters

Store manager

Matthias Bohnet

HORNBACH Leipzig
Richard-Lehmann-Strasse 117 | 04103 Leipzig
Tel.: +49 3412154580

Press contact

Christian Grether

HORNBACH Baumarkt AG | HORNBACH Holding AG & Co. KGaA,

Tel.: +49 6348 60 2571

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: hornbach.de | hornbach-holding.de