Brico is a
Belgian hardware store
Hardware stores (in a number of countries, "shops"), sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing suppli ...
-chain. The chain focuses mainly on
DIY items, but also sells garden related articles. The chain has 140 locations (as of February 2016) spread over Belgium, about 95 of which are franchised.
History
The first store opened in 1973 in
Schoten. The name Brico comes from the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
''bricoler'', which means ''to do DIY''. During the 1980s, Brico produced two brands of its own, namely Stop and Bricobi. Currently these brands are known as Central Park and Sencys. Until 2002 Brico was part of the
GIB Group
GIB Group (Grand Bazar Innovation Bon Marché) was a Belgian conglomerate, consisting of various retail and restaurant chains that existed until 2002. GIB Group owned GB (Grand Bazar) super/hypermarkets, Brico (home improvement/DIY), Inno (de ...
, when it was sold to the Dutch
Vendex (currently
Maxeda
Maxeda is a Dutch retail company owned by American investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Activities
Maxeda DIY Group is the market leader in the DIY segment and has 345 stores in the Benelux and more than 7,000 employees. Most stores h ...
). Maxeda also owns the Hardware store-chains
Praxis
Praxis may refer to:
Philosophy and religion
* Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised
* Praxis model, a way of doing theology
* Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...
and
Formido.
Former locations of
Leroy Merlin
Leroy Merlin () is a French-headquartered home improvement and gardening retailer serving several countries in Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Leroy Merlin is owned by the Mulliez family, which also owns Auchan.
History
In 1923, Ad ...
in Belgium have become part of Brico NV and have been reformed and renamed to Plan-It. These stores focus mainly on larger DIY and decoration projects.
In 2006, first Brico City shops were opened. These are smaller stores in the city centers (
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, ,
Brussels,
Liege,
Ghent ...) that focus on most basic and easy-to-store items.
Sponsoring
During the 1990s, the chain was co-sponsor of the
Mapei
Mapei S.p.A. () is an Italian limited company founded in 1937 in Milan that manufactures chemical products for the building industry. History
Innovation and research
The company was founded and originally called ''Materiali Autarchici per ...
cycling team via the brand Bricobi.
e-shop
In 2006 Brico started its own webshop. The webshop is part of the Brico website.
External links
Brico.be Official website of Brico
References
{{Authority control
Retail companies of Belgium
Retail companies established in 1973
Hardware stores