Mladen Prelevic

Okov d.o.o.

The history of the company began in 1994 when Stanka and Gojko Bajović founded Okov, and opened their first retail store in their own family house in Podgorica, which was also the home of the main office. The first shop offered only hardware and fastening products, but the ambitions towards developing a great enterprise grew over time. First breaktrough took place in 1996 - another Okov store was opened in Nikšić. Two years later - in 1998 - Podgorica got one more Okov retail center. Company's development in the next few years was marked by the introduction of new product groups to the offer, particularly power and hand tools, which have made Okov widely recognizable ever since. The owners have always strongly believed in the necessity of sales network expanding. Year 2005 marked the begining of positioning new retail stores throughout Montenegro. One by one, Budva, Bijelo Polje, Bar, Herceg Novi, Berane, Pljevlja, Ulcinj, Danilovgrad, Golubovci and Kotor got their Okov centers. That period was also significant for giant steps towards modernization of the company. By purchasing shares of Austrian "3e Handels und Dienstleistungs" company, Okov became the owner of "Let's do it" brand for Montenegrin territory. This had a strong impact on the future of the company. Okov embraced a new contemporary merchandise presentation concept, internal and external appearance of the stores and elements of visual identity. It enabled Okov to distinguish itself from the competition conceptually and visually, which has been recognized and praised by the market. Notable incentive came from the introduction of special sales catalogues - Okov was the first company in Montenegro ever to have applied that method of assortment promotion. Clever promotional products selection and significant discounts attracted a great number of customers, which strengthened Okov as a brand and its competitive position in the market. Alongside with this, brands "Workers Best" and "Gardens Best" (owned by "3e Handels und Dienstleistungs") got established as the most popular DIY tool brands in Montenegro. A new era in the life of the company began in 2008. Okov started replacing smaller shops with big and modern retail centers. That impulse was a result of the aspiration for market share growth and company's product range widening. The first and the biggest retail center of the kind was opened in Podgorica on the area of more than 5000 m². Since then, the company administration is located on the same address. Year by year, the rest of small shops gave in to big retail centers in all towns in Montenegro. Along with all that, care for employees was never neglected. Our policy towards our colleagues is based on unconditional respect of their human and legal rights. We constantly invest significant funds in their education and training. As a result of all that, we received two very important awards - for the best big company to work in and a special award for the company with the best interpersonal relationships in Montenegro. Today, Okov comprises of 15-store retail chain, 50,000-unit product range, widespread distribution network and over 450 employees that make the whole system work efficiently on a daily basis.