DIY store chain Dedeman, held by Bacau-based brothers Adrian and Dragos Paval, has recently started construction work on stores in Craiova and Brasov, where it could invest 15 million euros, a sum that does not include the price of land.

"The chain's first two openings in 2010 will be made in Craiova and Brasov, in spring. Brasov will accommodate the Dedeman chain's largest store, which has a 17,700 square-metres built area. Both plots were bought in 2008 and are among the chain's 11 certain expansion locations announced this year," said Dragos Paval, Dedeman's president and majority shareholder.

The company, which entered the Bucharest market this year, is the second-largest player in DIY retail in terms of turnover reported in 2008, being outranked only by German-held Praktiker.

Sales of the Romanian retailer went up 35% last year, to 250 million euros. Dedeman announced in February it set out to keep the chain's 2009 at the same as level as in 2008 amid a decline in demand for construction materials and for interior decorations. Paval did not wish to reveal data on the company' sales in the first nine months of this year.

Dedeman's national expansion strategy level targets the development of a 30-store network by 2015.

This year the retailer completed four expansion projects, two of which in Bucharest, in the wake of investments worth almost 50 million euros. The chain's latest opening was in Bucharest, in a retail park developed together with cash & carry store chain Selgros, operated by German group Rewe.

The store in Craiova will also be located next to a Selgros store, on a plot acquired from the German retailer last year. Dedeman currently operates 16 stores, with over 3,000 employees.

In the first half of the year, DIY retail fell by 15-20% against the similar period of 2008, according to estimates made by store operat