The company continues to expand, but at a slower pace than in 2011 and 2012, when it opened ten and eight new stores respectively.
“We are dependent on the offer of commercial spaces on the local market,” says Cristian Codrea, district manager of C&A. Ever since it entered the Romanian market, the Dutch giant targeted malls, shopping centers and retail parks because there are no appropriate high street locations for the company’s format. Moreover, in Romania high street retail is underdeveloped, with Romanians preferring to buy from malls. In the past few years mall openings have been fewer than during the boom years, but new malls keep emerging every year.
C&A opens large-format stores on the Romanian market, measuring 1,000-1,200 sq m, which sell products for the entire family.
Clothing retailer C&A entered the Romanian market in 2009, when it opened three stores. The following year it opened four stores and ten stores in 2011.
Company officials had announced before they had big plans for Romania, targeting all medium-sized and large cities.
“We want to cover cities where we are not present yet and do not rule out opening several stores in one city.” On the list this year are Oradea and Bucharest (the Promenada project will open this autumn). “We will open our first store this year in Oradea in March,” Cristian Codrea explains.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)