The company also had a turnover of RON1.669 billion (EUR339.3 million) in 2021, up 24% on the year, as per calculations by Ziarul Financiar (ZF) daily based on finance ministry data. In 2021, Autonet Import had on average 1,211 employees.
Autonet Import was founded in 1996 by Zoltan Kondor and Mihaly Lieb from Satu Mare. Almost seven years ago, 51% of the share capital of Autonet Import was acquired by Swiss Automotive Group, in a deal worth several dozen million euros, as per data provided at that time.
In 2021, the shareholders of Autonet Group Holding (AGH), part of Swiss Automotive Group, reached an agreement with automotive parts wholesaler Augsburg International (AL) for the acquisition of a majority stake in AL. Following the transaction, AGH holds a 51% ownership stake in AL.
Autonet Group Holding is one of the leading players on the automotive aftermarket segment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), being present in five countries (Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia) and comprises 14 companies. AGH is present on the Romanian market through the companies Autonet Import, Lubexpert Romania and AL.
In 2021, AGH started construction works at its new robotized distribution center located in Moldovenesti, close to the Romanian town of Turda (Cluj County), within an investment of EUR30 million. The center near Turda is part of an ample project aimed at developing Autonet Group’s logistics infrastructure which includes two more centers, in Bucharest and Budapest. The main objective of this project is to improve merchandise supply and distribution to customers from the Central European region, each of the three warehouses being equipped with AutoStore robotized modules.
The new distribution center is positioned on a 11-hectare land plot and will have a total surface of 22,700 square meters, with 49 loading/unloading gates. The automated AutoStore module will be equipped with 120,000 storage boxes, 70 robots and 20 workstations. Additionally, the warehouse will include storage space for 12,000 pallets. When operational, the Turda distribution center will become, together with the Satu-Mare and Bucharest facilities, one of the most important logistics hubs in Romania, as per data provided by the company at that time.