Hervis' domestic expansion to 50 stores on the medium term is coordinated by Catalin Pozdarie, the one who helped consolidate the Adidas brand in Romania.
"In 2009, we want to have between four and five openings, with our plans also including stores in Bucharest, so that we should cover the important areas of this city.
The next Hervis, with an area of around 1,500 square metres, is due to be opened in Militari shopping centre," Pozdarie told ZF.
The company will thus join other brands already present in Romania, such as Deichmann or Humanic, or that will be launched in the shopping centre of western Bucharest, including Decathlon or C&A.
Catalin Pozdarie is not at his first contact with apparel retail. Sixteen years ago, he got into contact with the textile industry, working for Steilman, at the production department.
After two years, he entered retail, being appointed as a development manager of Stefanel, the first international company that directly entered the Romanian apparel market. In 2006, Pozdarie took over the position of manager of the exclusive distributor of Adidas in Romania.
The importer of the Adidas brand was part of Alltrom group controlled by businessmen Gabriel Popoviciu and Radu Dimofte, and was run by Pozdarie for eight years.
In 1999, with the opening of the first mall-type shopping centre of Romania, in Vitan district of Bucharest, the manager for the first time took into account placing the stores he ran in a new location. "(...) In 2000, we opened the first Benetton store in Bucuresti Mall and in 2001 we also entered with Adidas," Pozdarie says, who after eight years decided to take a break from retail. In 2007, though, he got acquainted with Austria's Hervis.
Right from the start, the plan for the next six years targeted reaching a number of 50 stores, though Pozdarie knows the way he will hit this figure differs each year.
This November, the company entered Bucharest, trying to adapt its offering depending on Bucharest consumption habits. "(...) I don't believe in a fixed range of products, and companies that will not adapt will not survive," believes the manager of Hervis Sport, who estimates 30% higher sales in Bucharest compared with the other five locations outside the capital city. The diversified range of products and particularly the broad price range will ensure stability for Pozdarie even amid a possible financial crisis.
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