The Ploiesti-based Aquila& Seca group of firms, which operate in the field of consumer goods distribution services, expect to generate turnover of over 97 million euros this year. The group also plans to expand its activity in the Balkan region over the long term.
"The group''s plans include a 10-15% growth in turnover for 2005, up from 88 million euros in 2004. In the long term, we intend to expand our distribution activity in the Balkans and gain one of the top three positions among logistics services providers in Romania," said Catalin Vasile, one of the two shareholders in the Aquila&Seca group.
Aquila&Seca is one of the few Romanian distribution companies to announce a policy of expansion outside Romanian borders. Romania''s integration into the European Union and the high proportion of services in the country''s GDP have instead pushed a series of international distribution companies to switch to the Romanian market.
"The distribution market has swelled in terms of turnover and has gained strength as regards market players. The causes of this resettling were the increasingly higher standards of the market and of market partners. Future trends will be directly related to the growth in living standards in Romania," said Vasile.
He believes that over recent years the Romanian market has had to cope with increased aggressiveness from major international companies, both in retail and wholesale.
"This has been an unfavourable factor for Romanian companies, which unfortunately are being backed up by the Romanian authorities. We, as a group of firms, are making considerable effort to continue to be one of the important players on the market".
As regards the company''s profits, these saw a slight increase during the 2003-2004 period, mainly due to the growth in consumption.
"The first half of this year was not too spectacular in terms of growth, but we believe there is time to make up for the delays in the system by the end of the year," explained the Aquila&Seca shareholder.
At present, expansion in Romania is a natural step among logistics companies present in Hungary and wanting to reach the eastern part of Europe. For this year, Rynart logistics has announced investments of 25 million euros in a logistics centre in Bucharest.
The same expansion strategy has been embraced by two other companies operating on the Hungarian market: Rewico Logistics Kft and Deloc Debrecen Logistic Center&Industrial Park Kft.
The total value of Aquila& Seca''s investments is 14.2 million euros. lavinia.marin@zf.ro
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
