Paval Holding, a Romanian investment group, has acquired the Greek home improvement and DIY retail chain Praktiker, marking a significant shift in the sector’s landscape in Greece. The acquisition puts an end to months of speculation surrounding the future of the chain, which was previously under the control of Fairfax Financial Holdings through its Luxembourg-based subsidiary.

The suicide of a 49 year old man has shocked his colleagues that say that two days before his death he was pressured into signing his resignation from the Praktiker supermarket chain where he had been working for the last twelve years.