The owners plan to open at least two more stores this year (one in Bucharest and one outside the capital).
“We have been working on this project for three years. We have over 200 spirits brands, 95% of which have not been present on the Romanian market before. We have decided to compete against the major store networks,” said Cristian Preotu, associate manager of Le Manoir, the company that owns the Comtesse du Barry stores.
Preotu says he expects sales of at least EUR350,000 for the store on Calea Floreasca in its first year. The most expensive whisky is Mosstowie from 1973 (which costs RON2,700). Whisky sales were estimated at 4.6 million liters in Romania in 2011, shows data of market research company International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR), with the premium price segment of the market rising in the past few years.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)