Is sale of independent car dealers to foreign groups back “in fashion”?

The deal by which Bulgaria's Eurohold group took over a dealer of Renault Nissan Dacia brands in early February brings up again the issue of Romanian entrepreneurs' giving up the distribution of some car brands, as one in ten car dealers closed last year. "It was surprising that only 10% of dealers went bankrupt last year, considering the market fell by 60%. In the future we'll see more deals on the market in the context where car sales will remain flat from 2008 this year," said Viorel Niculescu, head of ATT, Land Rover and Jaguar dealer. In this case, the only salvation would be a sale of the business, but there are not many buyers on the market. The sale of independent dealers to larger groups seemed the "winning" trend in early 2008, coming after a year of record increases. At present, this seems to be the salvation of those who no longer have the necessary resources to continue on their own.