Julius Meinl Romania, a subsidiary of Austrian coffee producer Meinl group, will continue to count on the on premise segment and an annual growth rate of up to 50%, as registered over the past 3-4 years.
The company, which is positioned on the premium segment of the market with the Julius Meinl coffee, and Italian brands Cremcafe and Cafe del Moro, forecasts sales worth 5 million euros and EBIT of almost 1 million euros this year, double the level reached in 2006.
"We're focussing on the on premise segment, especially in premium locations. Turnover has, and will, grow in the next 2-3 years particularly on the on premise segment, where we've seen a constant increase of above 50% over the past 3-4 years," stated Tibor Dobri, general manager of Julius Meinl Romania.
The Austrian coffee producer entered the domestic market directly in 2005 when it acquired Novo (from Targu Secuiesc, Covasna county), which was the sole domestic importer of Julius Meinl coffee. Following the takeover, the company was renamed Julius Meinl Romania.
At present, products from the company's portfolio are distributed in over 1,600 coffee shops, bars, restaurants and hotels in Romania. The coffee is also present in large store networks, while the distributor plans to strengthen its presence on the off premise segment (household consumption).
Julius Meinl holds production facilities in Austria and Italy. The company is also involved in developing a coffee shop chain in a franchise system in Romania, with two such shops launched in Bucharest, called Cremcafe.
On the Romanian market, Julius Meinl competes with brands such as illy, Lavazza, Davidoff and Nespresso.
According to the data provided by Nielsen market research firm, on premise coffee sales in the first six months of this year rose by 17.3% against a similar period in 2006.
Domestically, the biggest sales are registered in retail, which is almost 95% dominated by four players: Kraft Foods, Elite, Tchibo and Cafea Fortuna.
With coffee consumption per capita at half the EU average, the Romanian coffee market (worth around 200m euros) still boasts considerable growth potential.
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