Expansionary offensive in Romania

In Romania there is a particulardemand for basic renovating
It was in September 2002 that Praktiker inaugurated its first DIY store in Romania. That is when the DIY superstore, which has a retail area of just on 6 000 m², opened for business in the direct vicinity of parent company Metro’s C&C store in Bucharest. At that time the message coming from the Praktiker head office in Kirkel was that the company is aiming for market leadership and planning to open 15 new stores. For over a year all that came out of Praktiker in Romania was information about its plans, until in October 2003 a second outlet was officially opened in Bucharest. Then in November came the launch of the store in Cluj Napoca, followed in December by a new opening in Ploiesti. Both outlets are situated north of Bucharest. Cluj has 331 000 inhabitants and Ploiesti has 248 000. Through these three new openings the company has already reached its goal of becoming market leader in Romania, since the single competitor, the French DIY multiple Bricostore, has so far only managed one location in Bucharest, the two million-strong metropolis. The company puts a figure of 12 000 m² on the total floorspace.
The four Praktiker stores in Romania all look very much the same. The floorspace comes to approximately 6000 m². A full range of products is available, though there is special emphasis on interiors, plumbing, power tools, laminate and tiles, plus decoration and curtains. As a special service there is a paint mixing station capable of satisfying individual colour requirements. In future the range is to be brought into line with the increased demand for garden products. Seventy per cent of the goods are sourced from Romanian suppliers – though among these there are in fact many German companies that operate either a subsidiary or a sales firm in Romania.According to Günter Vosskämper, head of Praktiker in Romania, there is a particularly high requirement for products needed for basic renovation work in the country overall. In Bucharest, in contrast, demand has already reached the second renovating stage, where higher-grade fittings are required. Products from Germany are in particularly high regard. What customers demand above all is advice about how to handle the products.
Praktiker has announced a total of five new openings for this year, for four of which there are concrete plans already. If you look at the cities in Romania with a population in excess of 200000, Iasi (350 000 inhabitants), Constanta (336 000) and Timisoara (328 000) are possible candidates for Praktiker’s continuing expansion, as are Galati (328 000), Craiova (313 000), Brasov (307 000), Oradea (221 000), Bacau (210 000) and Arad (200 000) as well.