OBI Franchising Center LLC Advances Brand Registration and Network Rebranding Efforts
OBI Franchising Center LLC, part of the OBI household goods network, has filed to register the Domus trademark across all 45 classes of the International Classification of Goods and Services. The registration inquiry appeared in the Rospatent database, as reported by the financial press. This marks a strategic move to secure a comprehensive brand presence for the Domus name in key markets and consumer segments. and Rospatent records.
Under an agreement with the German retailer OBI GmbH, the new Russian owners of the network are planning a name change for the hypermarkets operating within Russia. The purpose is to align with the Domus branding strategy while maintaining continuity for customers and suppliers. This transition reflects broader international branding coordination as the ownership structure evolves. announcements and industry reporting.
Historically, OBI’s Russian operations were controlled by a company connected to a major global coffeehouse brand. Earlier in its lifecycle, the retailer pursued trademark registrations for several marks, including HOBI, OBBI, IdeaFix, Inhouse, and QBI, in an effort to diversify its brand portfolio and protect its market position. The trademark activity demonstrates an ongoing intent to adapt branding to local and regional markets while exploring new brand family opportunities. office filings and market coverage analyses.
In March 2022, the OBI hypermarket network halted its Russian operations. Subsequently, OBI GmbH transferred its Russian business to Boris Lyubohits, a founder of a consulting firm and a legal agency. Later disclosures revealed that a controlling stake in the Russian network changed hands to businessman Josef Liokumovich, with a 40 percent stake acquired by a consortium of investment and construction firms named MAX. These movements illustrate a complex restructuring that affected ownership control and operational strategy within the Russian market. announcements and market coverage summaries.
As of January this year, the ownership landscape of OBI in Russia included five legal entities, with Modul-2 holding 90 percent and a businessman named Valid Korchagin holding 10 percent. Modul-2 is linked to Marina Midova, the president of the Wholesale and Retail Markets Association, known as AORR. The association has ties to the Sindika holding, which has leadership connected to Arsen Kanokov, a Kazakhster regional figure who led the territory from 2005 to 2013. These connections highlight a web of affiliations that influence strategic decisions across the retail and regulatory environment in the region. associations and regional business reporting.
In related historical context, AvtoVAZ explored possibilities related to staffing models that included the use of labor from prisoners. This reference illustrates how large manufacturers in the broader regional economy have navigated workforce considerations in the past, often balancing production needs with regulatory and ethical considerations. industry discussions and labor policy reviews.