Frito-Lay, subsidiary of US giant PepsiCo, which controls some 50% of the international chips and snacks market, has entered the Romanian market.
So far, the company has launched three products, which are imported from Greece, but future plans do not rule out local production.
"Our strategic direction is to estimate, first of all, the critical mass for the Romanian market that can be covered by import operations," Sotiris Yannopoulos, the company's business development director told Ziarul Financiar.
"Other options are to be considered depending on growth and needs," Yannopoulos added.
The three newcomers on the Romanian market - Lay, Ruffles and the Cheetos snacks - are distributed by SECA Distribution, which also distributes products for companies such as Wrigley and Ferrero.
This is the second PepsiCo unit in Romania, besides the beverages division. The Quadrant Amroq Beverages group was granted the franchise for beverages in 1991.
"We want to enter the Romanian market as we have to take into consideration the economic growth pace and its EU integration perspectives. Furthermore, Romania is a very important market for Southeast Europe. Starting from the initial data concerning the Romanian market, we have done a lot of research to see whether we can establish a powerful Frito-Lay franchise on the Romanian market," Yannopoulos also said.
In the region, the US company already controls production units in Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Greece and Russia.
Last year, Frito-Lay International posted sales worth $5.7 billion, up 4% from 2001, with these figures accounting for 23% of PepsiCo's total sales. PepsiCo was established in 1965, after Frito-Lay and Pepsi Cola Company merged.
In the Unites States, the company accounts for 59% of the sales volume reported by supermarkets for snacks and chips.
Other important players on this market are Intersnack, producer of the Chio brand, Swiss company Star Foods and the Romanian European Food, part of the European Drinks group.
claudia.covaci@zf.ro
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