“We can feel an increased appetite of Romanians for working out, you can see it on the streets, mainly in Bucharest and in the big cities. You can see cyclists using specialty equipment and gear,” says Catalin Pozdarie, the Romanian executive who has been running the local operations of Hervis for about a decade now.
Under the circumstances, Hervis’ sales in Romania went up to EUR53 million including VAT, an about 30% increase, Catalin Pozdarie says. In 2017, the sales stood at 160 million lei (EUR35 million) excluding VAT, according to the latest officially available data.
“Last year was good, very good year for us. It was the best ever by sales. The about 30% growth came from expansion on the one hand, and from a rise in consumption on the other. We had like for like growth.”
Catalin Pozdarie is cautious about 2019 estimates, saying the necessary steps to boost consumer spending have already been taken. However, the appetite for spending remains, and 2019 has been good for business so far.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)