Austrian home improvement chain opens in Bulgaria

BauMax AG, an Austrian home improvement retailer, is opening its first two stores in Bulgaria this week, the company said .

 The stores in Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest
city after the capital Sofia, and Stara Zagora mark Baumax's entry
into a seventh Eastern European nation. Two more openings are planned
in Bulgaria this year, the company said in a statement.

Bulgaria, one of Europe's poorest
countries, joined the EU last year.

BauMax, like many Austrian companies,
has capitalised heavily on Eastern European markets, which account
for half of its sales. Baumax has 15 stores in Hungary.