Metro Cash & Carry, the largest commercial network on the market, will this autumn fulfill its 20-store plan announced for Romania in the late '90s. The last store will be opened in Brasov, where Metro already holds another unit and will necessitate investments worth 15 million euros. This means that total investments by the German group in Romania will reach 300 million euros.
The group will have to wait and see whether the 20 stores will be enough to allow it to step beyond the 1 billion-euro barrier in annual sales. This year, turnover derived by the Metro Cash & Carry Romania network should come to 800 million euros, according to the company's representatives, up from the 762 million euros registered last year.
However, full-year results exceeded projections by over 60 million euros in 2003, and this may very well happen again this year.
"Romania is one of the most dynamic countries within Metro Cash & Carry International," maintains Delia Nica, PR director with Metro Cash & Carry Romania. The company has come to employ more than 5,100 people.
In this context, Metro Romania has also functioned as a professional training centre, according to officials.
Delia Nica says that many of those who worked in Romania are currently operating within units held by Metro Cash & Carry in Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Austria, India and China. In fact, the opening of the first Metro store in Ukraine this summer has benefited from the experience the German group has gained on the Romanian market.
Metro entered the local market in 1996, being the first cash & carry network to come to Romania.
According to market information, after it reaches the final point of its expansion, the company might decide to open some smaller format stores, destined to smaller cities, outside Bucharest. Metro officials were unwilling to comment on this possibility.
At present, the surface of a store ranges between 5,500 and 9,500 square metres.
Since 2001, Metro has had a direct rival on the Romanian market. Selgros Cash & Carry network is owned by another German trade group, Rewe, and currently comprises six stores, of which three are located in Bucharest and the others in Brasov, Targu Mures and Constanta. This autumn, Selgros will open another store in the western area of the country, in Timisoara. Unlike Metro, the annual expansion pace announced by Selgros is of 2-3 stores.
ionut.bonoiu@zf.ro
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