In the battle with chains like Tip Top and independent pastry shops she relies on expansion and on development of partnerships with supermarket chain Mega Image.
“We want to expand in Bucharest and in the rest of the country but we will do it when we find the right space and partners. (…) We’ll continue to develop together with Mega Image, having added two new shops within shops in 2014 and want to open at least another one in 2015, besides the many products we develop together and sell to customers via their network,” Alexandra Copos de Prada said an in e-mail interview.
Alexandra Copos de Prada is chief executive officer and chairperson of Ana Hotels, the second largest hotel company in Romania and Ana Pan, one of the largest bakery and confectionery shop networks in the country.
Ana Pan currently has 13 stores and 6 shop within a shop locations opened in partnership with Mega Image. The partnership started four years ago, and the company has since developed six islands in Mega Image concept stores in Bucharest. Mega Image is the biggest modern retail chain in Romania with more than 400 stores under several brands (Mega Image, Shop & Go and Gusturi Romanesti).
Alexandra Copos de Prada, 31, says Ana Pan’s intention is to develop both the stores and online shop because she believes in the growth of online commerce in the future. She opened her first own business last year, the Ana Baking Co. coffee shop on Calea Dorobantilor in downtown Bucharest.
“We are working on a differentiated positioning of the two brands Ana Pan and Ana Baking Co. and especially on developing our research and development department.”
When she took the reins of Ana Pan in 2013, she found a company whose sales had significantly gone down. In 2008, Ana Pan’s sales reached 24 million lei (EUR5.4 million) and by 2013 dropped to almost RON15 million.
“Ana Pan had seen significant decline in the past four years due to poor positioning and management. Quality was not up to the standards I wanted, staff was demotivated, while competition was developing fast.” She took some steps that helped the stores post growth after four years, but she would not provide any figures.
“I brought a new management team with experience in the business and dedicated to changing the company. I also introduced a quality and constant production improvement management system similar to Toyota’s and Ford’s.”
In 2013, she also introduced surveys in stores conducted every other day in order to assess customers’ perception of the products and services and put in place a system to pay competitive wages to employees and bonuses depending on the monthly target, she says. Research and development teams were added to all the production departments, as well.
In March 2014, Alexandra Copos also took the reins of Ana Hotels, her family’s main business. Ana Hotels, whose revenue stands at RON112 million, includes Athenee Palace Hilton and Crowne Plaza, both of them in Bucharest, Europa Hotel and Ana Aslan Health Spa in Eforie, Sport Hotel and Sport Wellness Spa, Bradul Hotel in Poiana Brasov and Ana Teleferic.
Alexandra Copos says that after she took charge of the hotel company she started EUR2.5 million investments in various locations, especially in refurbishing the rooms of Crowne Plaza. Her goal is to have the hotel become the top choice for accommodation and events in northern Bucharest in 2015-2016. (EUR1=RON4.4497)
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)