Romanian Grocery Retail – For all our readers abroad, these are the most important news from Romanian Grocery Retail Market and FMCG industry, in April 2020, provided by retail-FMCG.ro, the most read B2B publication in online, in Romania, from retail & FMCG niche.
Retail
Mega Image continued involvement in the community by donating food products, ready food and products for hygiene and cleaning to the hospitals and to the front-line medical staff from Bucharest, who treats patients with COVID-19.
Credit foto: Shutterstock
The retailer also continued to invest in local producers of vegetables that need now more than any other time support to sell their crops and to have financial stability. Mega image announced, also, the efforts of reward of the employees of the team by continuing to apply the raises of the salaries planned, and to grant the additional increase of 25% for every day worked in this period, starting with 9th of March, for the employees in the stores and deposits, that are in the front-line o exposure of the virus. The retailer continued the commitment to invest in development and to assure new work places in more cities in the country and opened this year 17 new stores.
Profi opened in March 20 other stores, the national network reaching a total of 1.232 units, in 565 cities. In this critical period, in which the pandemic of COVID-19 made radical changes in all lives, Profi Rom Food donated to the United Way Romania Foundation the sum of 10.000 euro to help the isolated seniors. From 27th of April, the retailer extended in Bucharest and Cluj the project started in Timisoara to support the persons without families, friends or neighbors that could help them to buy products they need. Profi proposed some facilities of shopping, adapted to the actual situation.
Auchan Retail Romania introduced in its online offer predefined shopping packages that can be ordered online with home delivery, a premiere on the local retail market. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic in Romania, the retailer and Leroy Merlin Romania, the second player on the local DIY market, with the support of the Ministry of Health and of the Department of Emergency Situations, started to organize a hospital center for noncritical persons, that was finished in 19 days.
The Association „Zi de Bine”, founded by Melania Medeleanu and Luciana Zaharia, joined the project started by Auchan Retail Romania and Leroy Merlin to support the efforts of fundraising necessary to arrange the first medical support unit in Bucharest-Ilfov.
Lidl opened 5 stores in this year, one of them being a reopening, in Targoviste. Like every year, Lidl Romania, offered all employees from the 265 stores 2 free days, on the first and the second day of Easter, on 19th and 20th of April 2020. The retailer, the founder of the first network of Food Products Bank in Romania, that functions on the principles of European Federation of Food Products Bank, continued the steps to control the food waste and poorness, supporting only in the last 6 weeks, their network with over 4 tons of food products. Lidl continued the investment in Romania by opening a new store in Mioveni, Arges district, on 30th of April, situated on Dacia Blvd., no. 136-138 and has a charge station for electric cars.
The members of the Association of The Biggest Commercial Networks in Romania (AMRCR) support the fight against the new coronavirus with actions meant to constitute the support for customers and every citizen and for the vulnerable categories.
Carrefour Romania remained beside the medical and specialized staff who fight against the pandemic and acquired 20.000 protection masks for the front-line medical staff.
Supeco opened at Calarasi the 25th store in Romania.
The Competition Council published a statement according to which the app Prices Monitor has been improved.
România Hypermarché, the operator of cora stores network, extended, with 27th of April, cora.ro service in Ploiesti, Cluj and Drobeta-Turnu Severin with the option to pick-up the order from Clients Services in store, in just 5 minutes.
FMCG
As part of the national initiative of fundraising #separatidarimpreuna, meant to support urgent necessities of the medical system in Romania against COVID-19, Timisoreana made the first step and donated 1.000.000 lei to Red Cross Romania to acquire the urgent and necessary equipment for hospitals in Romania. The producer launched the song „Impreuna” (Together), getting together some of the most loved voices in Romania. A tradition supporter of Romanian football, Timisoreana joined the initiative of Romanian Football Federation, eCupa Romania.
At this moment, Romania has production capacity that could assure entirely the food requirements of the population, is the conclusion of a study made by Termene.ro, the platform that offers updated information in real time of the financial and law data of the companies.
Inter Conecter company, specialized in the last 20 years in sweets and premium food products import, introduces this summer on the Romania’s market a large range of ice cream and refined frozen cakes, completing this market segment in full development.
In the crisis context caused by coronavirus, Farmec company, the biggest romanian producer of cosmetics, urged the starting of the production of disinfectants for hands and surfaces, with the facilities brought by the Military Ordinance no. 4 from 29.03.2020. Farmec started the production of biocides for personal or medical use.
The Managis Bio company from Cluj, national importer and distributor of ecological products, launched Nutrisslim, a new range of bio products, that include instant vegetable drinks, collagen supplements, peanut butter, cereals for breakfast, also for kids, shakes and protein puddings, seeds, dried fruits and sweeteners.
Procter & Gamble Romania, producer of the brands Ariel, Fairy and Always, donated 1.500.000 lei to Red Cross Romania representing financial support and products for personal care, hygiene and household use.
Fresh Veg, local company that produces fresh vegetables and fruits for Romanian retail, prepared for the Easter with almost 500.000 products.
Bergenbier S.A. joined the initiative of employees and partners of the company to support the front-line medical staff and supported the efforts of the Red Cross National Society in Romania to offer the sanitary units in Romania strictly necessary materials for treating the infected persons with COVID-19.
TOPGEL, the biggest romanian producer of ice cream, is one of the family businesses in Romania which chose to get involved actively in supporting the medical system in Romania in the fight against COVID-19.
Mondelēz International joined, in partnership with Red Cross Romania, by donating 480.000 of Milka products to the volunteers of the organisation and to the communities supported by them.
VINCON Romania, one of the biggest producers of wine and brandy in the country, launched a new brand of rose wine: Sempre Rose.
Henkel company announced the finish of the donation of 650.000 lei for the fight against COVID-19.
The Romanian Breweries Association initiated #MancareDeSuflet #SOSHoReCa, a campaign that proposes to attract the attention of the consumers on the economic situation from hospitality sector, strongly affected by the interruption of the activity on the emergency state.
Food Service
In a new context, AmRest, one of the biggest european platforms of restaurants and food services, opened a new Burger King restaurant to be closer to its clients.
foodpanda, the biggest online platform of food ordering in Romania, announced that will deliver until 15th of May, on the entire period of emergency state, food packages of VIVA Lunch Box prepared in the selected OMV stations, to the first line medical staff from six hospitals in the country.
EuCeMananc platform became Tazz by eMAG and is getting through a new step: delivery in maximum one hour for prepared food, food products and any other product necessary in a house.
cora Romania and foodpanda, the biggest online platform of food delivery in Romania, united their forces to raise the capacity of fast delivery at home of the orders of products from cora hypermarkets, in a moment when avoiding travel is essential for Romanians safety.
E-commerce
Buzau and Slatina are the newest cities in which Glovo, the app for fast delivery services, has launched.
In the actual context, you can see how it is deteriorating and decreases your business, if you do not have resources to support it or don not have financial support outside the company or you can adapt your business so you do not just survive until the things get into normal, but to open new business lines with this occasion.
Services
At the 3rd edition of Future Makers, Social innovation Solution and Coca-Cola Romania decided to offer 10.000 euro as a support for the social innovating solutions in the context of Coronavirus that support the access to distance at work, health, education, culture, goods and services, improvement of the relationship with the authorities, protection of the affected ones or informing correctly about Coronavirus.
In the context in which all restaurants and most of stores were forced to stop the activity with public in their locations, NETOPIA Payments, the biggest processor of electronic payments in Romania, announced that it started the process of enrollment for a new orders platform dedicated to them, supporting the migration of the business in online and and the relaunching of the activities in home delivery segment.
WINFO, the the supplier company of products, services and solutions of Business Intelligence & Data Analytics, offered free, for 45 days, licensing of the solution of Business Intelligence Qlik Sense Business, dedicated also to the companies in FMCG industry.
Analysis
In March 2020, in grocery retail in Romania were opened 24 stores, in this account entering just the stores opened and officially released by the retailers.
The legislative proposal for temporary capping of the prices of the strictly necessary food products, that has already passed the Senate, will have a profoundly negative impact on local producers, some of them risking the closing of the production, and will encourage the imports.
Romanians spend more on supply with food products, according to the turnovers of the local retailers on the last 10 years, and the actual situation will help to a raise more spectacular of this industry.
The volume of the beer market in Romania maintained in 2019 at the level of the last year and registered an evolution of 0,4% in volume reaching, 16,6 millions HI.
Studies
In the actual context of the pandemic caused by coronavirus, romanians modified their behavior to adapt to the new reality.
The proximity formats bring the biggest raise in retail & FMCG market in Romania, in the actual context of COVID-19 pandemic, while the raise of the total sales of FMCG was of 31,3% in value, from the start of the pandemic and until 29th of March.
„Romanians today” is a research tool developed by the company Reveal Marketing Research, that develops continuu and functions like a value barometer (of the important things of romanians) in that moment.
Online promotion
Evensys, a company of over 14 years experience in planning and organizing business events, launched Romania Back To Business – the most important source of information for the local community of Marketing, PR and Digital.
Events
The 15th anniversary edition of GPeC started with the registrations for the two big events from GPeC portfolio: Online Stores Competition and GPeC Summit – the reference event in E-Commerce and Digital Marketing that will take place on 2nd of November 2020 at Bucharest National Theater.
The 11th edition of the competition „Voted Year Product” in Romania named its winners for 2020.
Romanian Grocery Retail
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