The management team of the Carrefour hypermarket network in Romania says it has decided to speed up growth, increasing its store network from 6 to 11 by the end of next year.
"We have invested 28 million euros in the store located in the Baneasa-based Feeria commercial centre, with another 80-100 million euros to invest next year. The Carrefour group will have a highly aggressive development policy and it will start building four new commercial centres over the forthcoming period," stated Francois Oliver, general manager of Carrefour Romania.
The seventh hypermarket the French network owns in Romania will be launched in Constanta, this autumn, and the group is due to open two hypermarkets in Iasi as well as one in the southern part of the capital city next year. The French officials declined specifying the location of the fourth store scheduled for next year.
"Romania is a strategic country for Carrefour and I hope we will retain our position on the Romanian market," stated Jacobo Caller Celestino. He became the new general manager of Carrefour Romania this month, following the departure of Francois Oliver, who has run the company during the seven years after having entered the Romanian market.
Carrefour hypermarkets last year derived turnover worth 435 million euros on the Romanian market, becoming in terms of revenue the second biggest player in the Romanian trade industry, after the cash & carry unit of Germany''s Metro posted turnover worth 1.25 billion euros. Moreover, Carrefour registered profit worth five million euros, the first time it has been in the black since it entered the market.
The hypermarket in Feeria will be run by Pascal Anthonioz, who has filled the manager''s position with the acquisition unit of Carrefour Romania.
"Carrefour Romania has a 98% collaboration with Romanian suppliers, allowing us to embrace the small price policy. International transportation costs and customs duties would take the prices of imported products too high," stated Anthonioz.
The only direct contender of Carrefour on the hypermarkets sector in Romania is another French group, Cora, which owns two stores in Bucharest. Cora put last year''s turnover at 150-170 million euros and will this year open its first store outside Bucharest, in Cluj.
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