Plus discounter store network will invest 45 million euros in expansion this year, taking the level of investments to over 100 million euros.
"We''ve already opened three stores and we plan to open new stores in another 27 cities. We are likely to open even more stores than one in some of the cities," said Ioana Marginean, marketing manager with Plus Discount Romania, the company operating the Plus network.
The three Plus stores that have been launched since the beginning of this year are located in Bucharest, in Bacau and Targu Secuiesc and required investments worth around 1.5 million euros each. Thus, the total number of Plus stores in Romania has come to 15, of which three are located in the capital city.
The company in February increased its share capital by 18 million euros with a view to expansion.
"The additional capital will be used to finance the acquisition of land for the future locations, as well as the construction and fitting of the new stores that are going to be opened," Ioana Marginean added.
The major cities Plus is targeting include Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Arad and Braila. However, small and medium cities such as Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Ramnicu Valcea, as well as Barlad, Baia Sprie or Codlea are the main target.
A Plus store has a total built area of 1,500 square metres, of which 1,200 account for the sale space, with another 300 square metres taken up by warehouses and annexes.
Moreover, the German retailer is likely to expand the warehousing area of its logistic centre of Ploiesti by 10,000 square metres this year in order to keep up with the increase in the number of stores.
Its Ploiesti-based logistic centre took investments exceeding 15 million euros and has an area of 28,000 square metres and the capacity to supply 60 Plus stores countrywide. In the future, Plus is likely to open another logistic centre in Transylvania.
Referring to the potential of the discount-type retail segment of the Romanian market, Plus representatives consider this will continue to grow over the following years. Another unit of the Germans, the Lidl small surface area stores, has announced its entrance on the Romanian market.
Plus sells a range of approximately 1,000 products, including food products, as well as non-foods, such a detergents, cosmetics, pet food or household appliances. mihaela.popescu@zf.ro
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