“In the first three months of this year, the market saw an insignificant growth, according to data released by auditors, by around 1% in the overall volume of chocolate sales,” Heidi officials said.
“Last year sales fell by around 20% against 2009. Now stability is a good sign and means the market bottomed out last year,” they added.
Data reported by Heidi are better than those of other chocolate
producers, which say chocolate demand fell by around 5 to 10% in
the first quarter of the year compared to the same interval last
year.
Despite these circumstances, the strategy that Heidi has been
pursuing since 2008, which entails focusing on foreign markets, has
proven fruitful. The company says its results improved by 20% in
the first quarter.
“(…) The company’s profit went up, as well. In the first three months of the year we exported 38% of our production, 16% more than in the similar period of last year,” the company’s representatives said.
They did not reveal the value of the turnover and net profit.
Heidi chocolate produced in Bucharest is exported to 32 countries, among which Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and the U.S..