Record number of cheap stores this year
Clothing and footwear discount chains which tapped into the
Romanian market in the last four years have opened over 30 stores
this year in an attempt to make their way into areas yet untapped
by competitors.
Pursuing the same strategy as food retailers, which left
hypermarkets far behind, by opening one store every five days as
early as in 2009, the Germans at Deichmann and at Takko, which
together have 75 stores, doubled their chain last year.
Moreover, French-held Kiabi, which entered the market in the second
half of last year, went from two to six stores.
"The main advantage is that we won clients of other more expensive
brands, in the wake of the financial crisis. However, our customer
target has been the one most affected by the salary declines,"
Cosmin Ulmean, managing director of Takko Romania, which has 39
stores, 12 of which opened this year. Takko posted 14.9 million
euros in turnover last year.
Deichmann sells cheap footwear in 36 stores after it opened 15
stores in 2010, but there are "still many areas that lack
coverage", according to company representatives, who admit that
customer loyalty is higher outside Bucharest.