Paints and enamels producer Kober based in Piatra Neamt, held by the Kober family, estimates this year’s results to be the same as in 2008, 50 million euros, though last year the figure was 20% higher than in 2007.
"We cannot say we were affected by the crisis in 2008, because the first strong signals started at the end of September and the beginning of October. The paint sale season was already over. However, without the crisis, we could have probably boosted our turnover by 3 or 4%," stated Aurel Kober, chairman and majority shareholder of Kober.
The main factors that influenced the sales growth were the development of the real estate sector in the first ten months of last year, and the increase in consumption and in people’s purchasing power, which showed in the refurbishment works and in construction of individual homes. In addition, the company’s sales were also influenced by the launch of the Zertifikat paint, which performed better than expected and the company could barely keep up with demand.
"In 2009 we set out to develop the product lines with the biggest potential: washable paint, decorative coatings, wood enamels and special metal coatings," the company’s chairman says.
The market of paints and enamels went up by some 15% in 2008, to 215-230 million euros compared with the previous year. This year’s most pessimistic forecasts point to a decline of the market to the about 200 million euros recorded in 2007.
"The market of paints and enamels in its entirety will obviously not increase compared with the previous year but on the contrary, it will go down. The extent of the decline is hard to estimate at the moment. The first results that will probably allow a realistic evaluation of the potential of this year will come out at the end of the first half," Kober explains.
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