56m-euro turnover for Butan Gas

Butan Gas Romania, one of the leading players on the local market of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), posted a 55.6 million-euro turnover at the end of last year, up 28% from 2005. The company's profit reached 1.5 million euros, 36% more than in 2005. "Increases in profit have been generated by market growth on certain segments, as well as by a more aggressive marketing policy and the expansion of the distribution network," stated Florin Preda, the company's general manager. Butan Gas Romania is the local branch of the Italian group Butan Gas, controlled by Romanian businessman Iosif Constantin Dragan, who, according to a ranking published by Capital magazine, is thought to be the richest Romanian. The LPG market comprises three segments: gas stoves (gas cylinders), the small bulk system and auto-gas (LPG for cars). Acc ording to a company representative, the gas cylinder and small bulk segments stagnated somewhat last year, and profit was mainly due to the dynamic auto-gas market. This year the company estimates a 67 million-euro turnover and a 2.7 million-euro net profit, which will mainly be generated by network expansion plans.