Over the first six months of the year, Best Computers posted turnover worth 2.6 million dollars, approximately 55 percent higher than the level derived over the year-ago period, Robert Coman, chairman of the group, told Ziarul Financiar. The profit level was not disclosed.
"We are set to win the province" by the end of the year, Coman added, alluding to the opening of two stores in two Romanian cities. Their size will be comparable to the store that Best Computers opened last year in the Bucharest-based Unirea complex.
Over the next two-three years, the company is planning to open computer superstores in ten Romanian cities.
"We have got Bucharest 'covered' for now, as far as we are concerned. We rank third on the retail market and we can say that we are not after the first or the second place at any price. We'd rather ensure the company's financial health than open ten stores in Bucharest without being able to cover their expenses," company officials added.
"The first semester of this year was a period of evolution, of company consolidation, a period of financial accumulation for future projects," the above-mentioned source stated. The first semester also saw the birth of the company's website, which can be accessed at www.bestcomputers.ro. Internet surfers can also place orders on the site.
The www.gameshop.ro site is also a success. The site is owned by Best Distribution (which has the same shareholding structure as Best Computers), the largest importer of computer and console games in Romania, according to company officials.
In its first week since the launch, the online shop got only two game delivery requests, but now it receives about "ten orders daily and the number is increasing," the company management says.
"Considering that original computer games are hard to sell, we can say that the site is a big hit," the company officials added.
Approximately 90% of the customers that shop at the online store are not from Bucharest, as Capital city dwellers already enjoy large access to this kind of products.
"Prank" orders are perhaps the only drawback to the site activity. Ever since the shop was launched, "pranks" have accounted for about five percent of total requests.
However, the development of electronic commerce in Romania is hindered by the lack of modern payment means. According to company officials, there are no banks allowing clients to pay online, by credit card, without having to go all the way to the banking institution for a credit card check.
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