The fast courier firms operating on the Romanian market have this year reported their best financial results so far. With annual growth in turnover of over 30%, courier firms are also investing millions of euros in a bid to gain strong positions ahead of the boom that is expected to follow Romania''s entry into the European Union.
"The firm''s growth in the first half of 2005 was better than the most upbeat of predictions. We now foresee a considerably faster rate of growth over last year," said Dumitru Ionescu, country sales and marketing manager with TNT Romania.
In 2004, TNT Romania saw its turnover increase 33% and expects to see at least a further 40% increase this year to 24 million euros.
DHL International Romania, another major player on the Romanian courier services market, is also expecting significant growth this year.
"Turnover in the first half of this year rose 30% on the same period last year, and forecasts for the second half are upbeat, pointing to 35% more than in the same period of 2004," said Alexandru Gheorghe, a commercial director with DHL International Romania.
Data from the Finance Ministry website shows that DHL International Romania generated 13.5 million euros in turnover in 2004, 23% more than the 11 million euros reported in 2003. DHL is thus likely to achieve turnover of 17.7 million euros this year.
Trans Courier Service, an authorised agent for US company UPS, reported a 30% increase in turnover in the first half of 2005 to reach a level of 2.11 million euros. Company representatives believe turnover will approach 4.7 million euros for the entire year, 35% up on last year. Over the last three years, Trans Courier Service has delivered the best performance among UPS Services units in Eastern Europe.
In expectation of the future boom on the courier market, the main players in the industry have begun to invest heavily.
"The fast courier market is permanently developing at a rate that''s faster than the overall economy. However, the increasingly complex requirements in terms of economic factors and the competition environment are encouraging the creation of annual investment plans that accurately reflect market expectations," said Alexandru Gheorghe of DHL.
It is not just the major players that are benefiting from the growth of the courier services market. Alo Curier, a domestic courier firm from Bucharest, also expects its turnover to double this year compared with 2004.
lavinia.marin@zf.ro
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