Interbrands, Romania's largest distribution company, last year posted record-high sales.
"2003 was a year of strong development, focused on organic growth and improvements of Interbrands' performance, in terms of both efficiency and productivity," Rand Sheriff, general manager of Interbrands told Ziarul Financiar.
According to Sherif, the company's sales surged to 456 million dollars last year, up 32% from 2002. In the last four years, Interbrands has seen growth ranging between 10-17 percent. "The value attained in 2003 is significantly above the company's budget for that year," Sherif said.
However, the Interbrands official would not disclose the profit logged by the company in 2003.
"Growth will remain robust this year, although at a more modest rate than in 2003. This growth will be derived from the company's existing business partners and possibly some new partnerships," Sherif added.
Interbrands has an impressive list of partners, which includes some of the biggest consumer goods companies in Romania, such as British American Tobacco, Gillette, Kotanyi (spices), Nestle and Procter & Gamble.
Interbrands was among the first distribution companies to emerge after 1990. In the past years, as increasingly more international retailers have entered the Romanian market, distribution companies became more professional and many introduced logistics in their offer, thus providing an integrated set of services.
"Distribution has, and continues to rapidly develop in Romania. The consumer is being offered more shopping venues to buy an ever increasing range of products as manufacturers continue to develop existing and new brands. This increasingly competitive environment is, in our opinion, good for consumers and the country overall because it provides more choices to consumers and boosts efficiency and productivity in product development, supply chain management, merchandising and, of course, distribution," Sherif stated.
Interbrands Marketing & Distribution is part of the Lebanese group Sarkis Elias Sarkis, which also operates in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon and Mongolia. The group deals chiefly in imports and distribution of consumer goods.
ionut.bonoiu@zf.ro
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