Metro, the world''s third-largest trading company, has revealed it will bring its hypermarket unit to Romania, following the cash & carry and DYI units.
"We have already set up the company ''real, - Hypermarket Romania SRL'' and this February John Rix took over the country manager position for this important and expanding market", Juergen Homeyer, a spokesperson for the German group, told Ziarul Financiar.
Market information had pointed to Thorsten Vogt, the general manager of Russia''s Real network, as the future top dog at the Romanian-based branch.
The statement of Metro representatives comes after one year of visits made by top officials of the German group. In 2004, the company''s officials said their immediate priority was the Russian market, where Real opened its first store this year.
Homeyer would not offer additional information on the development plans of Real hypermarkets in Romania, but market sources say the Germans have already secured several locations both in Bucharest and in other cities.
Real will be the third unit of the German group to be brought to the Romanian market, after Metro Cash & Carry in 1996 and Praktiker in 2002. The results posted by two units have so far exceeded the Germans'' expectations, which led to more ambitious expansion targets.
While originally announcing ten cash & carry stores, after Romanian manager Dusan Wilms was picked to run the Romanian branch, Metro raised its expansion objective to 20 stores, and last year managed to exceed this target as well.
Meanwhile, Dusan Wilms became a regional manager for the eastern ad southeastern operations of the German group, and, starting this month, he is the operational manager (number two after the CEO) of Real International Holding Gmbh, the company controlling the activity of the hypermarkets outside Germany.
The hypermarket segment of the Romanian market currently includes only two French groups. Hyparlo, the main franchisee of the Carrefour group, operates four stores in Bucharest and Brasov and will this year open another one in Ploiesti. Also, Hyparlo will start building another three hypermarkets to be opened next year, as the group''s officials point to a target of 15-20 stores.
Cora, part of the Louis Delhaize group, operates a single store in Bucharest and is to open the second one this autumn. Cora will also start construction works for its third store to be located in Cluj.
According to information on the retail market, other major players are also to enter Romania over the next years.
ionut.bonoiu@zf.ro
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