Romanian Grocery Retail – For all our readers abroad, these are the most important news from Romanian Grocery Retail Market and FMCG industry, in October 2020, provided by retail-FMCG.ro, the most read B2B publication in online, in Romania, from retail & FMCG niche.
Retail – Mega Image
Mega Image, part of Ahold Delhaize Group, continued the extension and development plan în Romania with new opening stores in Bucharest and in the biggest cities in the country.
Credit foto: Shutterstock
Thus, between June and September 2020, the retailer opened a number of 25 new stores, of which 11 Mega Image and 14 Shop & Go, the network reaching a total of 818 units in Romania.
Mega Image brought in Romania two private label range of products: Nature’s Promise, that is based on just natural ingredients, reach in nutrients, bio certificated or for special needs, as are gluten-free products and Perla, a new coffee brand.
Mega Image are celebrating în october 25 years of presence in Romanian retail market through a dedicated campaign for consumers – „For 25 years beside you”.
Retail – Auchan
Until 20th of October 2020, Auchan celebrated in stores and on www.auchan.ro online store, the anniversary of 14 years of activity in Romania. Present on the local retail market with 33 hypermarkets, 5 supermarkets and a network of 26 MyAuchan convenience stores, Auchan Retail Romania company marks this month 14 years since the opening of the first hypermarket, Auchan Titan, in 2006.
After almost one year from launching the initiative of collecting used food oil in all the hypermarkets in the country, the retailer announced the collection of the first 100.000 liters of used oil.
Retail – PROFI
PROFI, the retailer with the largest network in Romania, opened in September 2020 a number of 20 stores, including one store in Standard format (Supermarket), 13 stores in City format and 6 stores in loco format. And, in october, the retailer opened 28 stores, being the month with the most openings this year.
With over 1,350 stores in over 600 localities, with approx. 21,000 employees and a very fast growth rate, PROFI is the modern retail chain with the largest geographical coverage in Romania.
Profi has started also the first deliveries of goods to stores from its new warehouse, located near Bucharest. This is the first warehouse belonging to the retailer Profi that covers both fresh and frozen products.
Retail – Kaufland
Kaufland Romania continues the expansion and inaugurates the second store in the northern part of Bucharest, in the Străulești area. Thus, the company reaches a network of 135 stores in Romania, of which 17 are in the capital, Bucharest.
In October, all the network of 135 stores and two warehouses of the retailer got the certification which confirms that all the safety measures against spreading Covid-19 are correctly, completely implemented and are complying with the international sanitary standards of World Health Organization and local institutions.
Retail – Lidl
Lidl continued the investment on the local market by opening 3 stores: a new store in Brasov on 15th of October, a new store in Otopeni and a new store in Codlea. Lidl Romania. The German discount retailer Lidl has opened in Romania over 280 stores and 5 logistics centers.
The retailer donated in october 20 oxygen concentrators to the Botosani County Hospital, intended for Covid-19 patient care.
Retail – Carrefour
In October, Carrefour Romania opened the second hypermarket in the city of Brașov and the 40th in the national network. Carrefour has in Romania a network of over 360 stores and an online shopping service through the BRINGO platform.
Carrefour also opened in Timisoara one supermarket store Carrefour Market, the first from Timis district with 100% Self Service case registers.
The retailer received The International Certificate of Conformity – SAFE Asset Group which attests to the rigor and correctness of anti-Coronavirus measures implemented by the company and recognizes them to be according with the actual recommendations communicated by the World Health Organization, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and with the international good practices from retail.
Retail – other retailers
The network of drogerie stores POK, a 100% Romanian business with the headquarters in Constanta, proposes a range of 3.000 products, a big part of these being own imports.
Supeco, a retail brand owned by Carrefour, opened a new store in Timisoara, on Circumvalatiunii Street no. 35, reaching 28 stores in Romania.
Farmec, the biggest Romanian cosmetics producer, opened a new Gerovital store in Brasov, being the second center opened this year.
Starting with October 2020, DM Drogerie Markt, the drogerie store network, became member of AMRCR – Association of Large Commercial Networks in Romania.
PENNY network has extended with two new stores in Ramnicu Sarat, Buzau district, and in Brezoi, Valcea district. With these two openings, the PENNY network reaches 267 stores in Romania
Retail – Shopping Centers
NEPI Rockcastle, the biggest real estate investor in retail real estate in Romania, announced new ways of digital media communication through innovating technologies.
AFI Brasov, the project inaugurated by AFI Europe Romania in the center of the country, at Brasov, represents the perfect model that combines a modern commercial center, developed on 3 levels with a total leasable area of 45.000 sqm an type class A offices, with a total leasable surface of 15.000 sqm, constructed over the commercial center.
The third quarterof 2020 brought a raised activity in the industrial spaces sector, where the retail companies and the related services, respectively courier and logistics, have rented over 300.000 sqm having a weight of 50% from the total transactions, double than the year 2015, showed the report CBRE Market Snapshop Q3.
FMCG
Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal and Jameson, whisky brands from Pernod Ricard portfolio, worldwide co-leader of wines and alcoholic drinks, launched a challenge for whisky lovers, through a campaign that reunited the three brands under the message „GIVE IT TIME”, incorporating a commune feature – the taste experience from the high quality ingredients and from the time passed.
The beer industry continues to have a significant contribution to economic and social development in Romania through the jobs that it creates and constant contributions to the state and local budgets, through supporting local farmers of barley and hops and through promoting some sustainable initiatives of protection of the environment, affirmed the representatives of Romanian Brewers Association, reunited beside the main decision factors at an online debate that took place on 21st of October.
The Competition Council announced that it analysis the transaction through which Tchibo Coffee Service GmbH intentions to acquire the company Partener Coffee Services SRL.
In Romania, the annual production of Salam de Sibiu IGP (Sibiu’s Salami) remains constant at 3.000 tons, even in this challengeable year for all the businesses.
EcoBioGreen
From August 2020, Lipton Ice Tea, brand distribuited by PepsiCo, launched on the Romanian market the new 100% rPET (recycled PET) bottle.
The Coca-Cola system in Romania, formed by Coca-Cola Romania and Coca-Cola HBC Romania, reunites, this autumn, under the same platform, all the projects of environment and involvement in the community of the two companies.
Julius Meinl launched its first range of 100% biodegradable capsules, with an innovation on the capsule’s body: compostable biopolymer.
Food Service
The 1980s have marched the debut of numerous culinary trends and products, but none of them as memorably and impossible to imitate as the original recipe of the PAN dough from Pizza Hut.
Starbucks has, starting with October, a new operational director in Romania and Bulgaria.
KFC Romania launched the first prototype of an touchless order kiosk – that doesn’t need to touch the screen. The second half of 2020 marched the achieving of the strategic goal of expansion for Shera Franchise Group, by opening the food court restaurant KFC AFI palace Brasov.
E-commerce
Two young people from Bucharest have launched, at the final of September 2020, the online store www.hellodoggie.ro, dedicated to the dog lovers in Romania where they can find personalized t-shirts with dogs, photo sessions for dogs, gift vouchers for their friends and other products that will be soon listed.
For National Food and Food Waste Day, LifeBox, the leader on the market of healthy food delivery in Romania, draws attention to the food waste phenomenon, with long term impact on the society.
BRINGO named at the leadership of the company Ioana Ilie Dobre, that in its role of General Manager, is responsible of coordination and acceleration expansion in Romania.
On 23rd of October 2020 expired the Early Bird offer that brought significant discounts, between 40 and 70 dollars for the registration to GPeC Summit Online. The number of online customers has raised with 8% in 2020 than in 2019, and the number of persons that pay online with card raised with 14% this year than in 2019, according to a market research made by iSense Solutions for GPeC, a market research that will be presented at GPeC SUMMIT (2nd -3rd of November 2020).
foodpanda, the biggest platform of food ordering in Romania, announced the integration of the ShareTheMeal functionality in the app and on the site, for donating food meals, that offers the possibility to the users to contribute directly to fighting hunger in vulnerable zones of the world, by just clicking a button. foodpanda announced the partnership with Kaufland Romania hypermarkets, for quick delivery of the products to the clients homes.
Takeaway.com, one of the biggest food delivery services in the country, introduced new measures to support restaurants.
Services
Mercedes-Benz Vans presented Mercedes-Benz eVito Furgon, a full electric model prepared for the streets in Romania and very suitable for distributors from FMCG industry and courier companies, for the deliveries made in the urban environment, but also for the entrepreneurs from HoReCa.
After a year from the transformation of ESSA Sales & Distribution from SRL in SA, a business of 14,3 millions euro in 2019, the company management announced changes in the leadership team from 15th of October 2020.
Postis, the first LogTech start-up in Romania, launched a special offer for Black Friday and offers free access to its technologies, coming in the support for retailers and players on the e-commerce market, which in this period have managed large volumes of online orders.
Starting this autumn, the clients QInStore Radio have at their disposal new services through which they can reduce the expenses with Ambiental music used in their own selling points, with at least 50%.
Events
retailArena, reference event in retail & FMCG industry, returned with the 8th edition, on 27th and 28th of October 2020, in an unpublished format, adapted to the demands of these times.
METRO started the countdown for „Your Business Day!”.
In a period in which most consumers and businesses are heading towards the online environment, ARMO (The Romanian Association of Online Stores) organized on 15th of October 2020 the first edition of the E-commerce Day.
Analysis
Covid-19 had a major impact on the mode in which the consumers live, buy and travel.
In September 2020, in grocery retail in Romania were opened 35 stores, in this account entering just the stores opened and officially released by the retailers.
In 2020, the retail industry in Eastern Europe had to manage multiple types of crises, from the lockdown generated by the pandemic, a new and unforeseeable situation, to the economic problems or the decrease of oil price, factors that generated decreases in the sales for some retailers, but also the increase of other sales channels, such as e-Commerce.
Studies
Reveal Marketing Research realized an urban nationally representative study on 847 participants to discover Romanians behavior for recycling and selective collection. For over a half of Romanians, the positive experience with a product determines them to become loyal to that company (54%) , also true for negative experiences, that stops them to appeal in the future to the same brand (50%), according to a study made by Reveal Marketing Research.
Romanian Grocery Retail
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