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

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. (dpa)