Romania's largest ice cream maker, Delta Romania, was affected by last summer's rains and by the scandal related to some salmonella-infested products.
Sales increased 21% in 2002, up to 13 million euros, but the company is still in the red. Delta logged net losses worth 5.8 million euros in 2001, while turnover amounted to 11 million euros.
According to the company's general manager, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, the Romanian market has great potential, especially because of the NATO integration and the upcoming European accession.
"Romania is a market with huge potential. I aim to bring Delta's research and development capacities in Romania," the company manager said. According to Giannakopoulos, "ice cream is a measure of living standards." In Romania, 85% of the population eats ice cream, but 80% of them turn to industrial, "no name" ice cream.
According to a recent market survey conducted by Daedalus Consulting, ice cream sales are tightly connected to the season, as consumption drops four times in winter as compared to the summertime. However, rains got in the way last year, Giannakopoulos said. "We sold half of the normal quantities last August, because of the rains."
Delta makes 20 ice cream brands in Romania, such as Top Gun, Best and Aloma. The company owns a plant in the outskirts of Bucharest, with a production capacity of 2,000 tonnes.
Delta last year conquered 43% of the market, up 4% since 2001. The ice cream market is worth about 25 million euros, with Delta competing against Napolact, Amicii and Prodlacta. The company aims to keep its market share this year and increase sales to 21 million euros. "We know how to control the distribution and we have plenty of plans," Giannakopoulos said.
Delta products are now distributed through 19 distribution centres, while the company only had nine such units last year.
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