However, several Romanian brands such as Poema, Etic or Pnk Casual have started developing in recent years and setting their stores in major retail centers or shopping streets.
Many of these brands also have their own production operations or take their products from domestic suppliers, hence they have the advantage of low production and transport costs. By comparison, brands such as Zara or H&M get good prices as they order high volumes all over the world. Thus, the two sides can compete on equal ground in terms of pricing.
Romanian brands mainly address average-income persons (Etic, Poema or Moda Aliss) or above average-income ones (Pnk Casual and Nissa). Thus, they compete directly either with H&M and C&A, or with Zara.
Nissa, a Romanian family business, appeared on the domestic market around one decade ago, when international brands such as Zara or H&M either were not mulling Romania, or tested the market with franchises. The business initially focused on production and then expanded to retail.
Nine years later, on a market flooded by major fashion brands, Nissa stores started appearing in shopping centers of Romania’s main cities and in street-front locations. The first two stores were opened in Craiova, where the company was also born. Subsequently, the chain expanded countrywide, in multi-brand stores and department stores.
Nissa, which addresses clients with above-average incomes (the price of a dress starts from around RON200 and gets as high as RON1,000, according to the company’s online store) in 2013 reached revenue of RON52 million (EUR11.8 million), 13% above the 2012 level.
Just like Nissa, Poema and Moda Aliss businesses also started from Craiova and subsequently expanded to neighboring cities. In 2013, it came up with a store in Sun Plaza mall. Moda Aliss opened stores in downtown Bucharest, in Unirea Shopping City (two stores) and Cocor (one store).
The brand has a history of around two decades and the company has now reached 13 stores and revenue of above RON11 million.
The company that owns Pnk Casual brand was launched on the market in 2002, but its products were initially sold in partner stores. The company launched its own retail network three years later, but its products are also sold in around 30 partner shops particularly of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, according to information previously provided by the company’s officials.
The clothes are manufactured in the company’s plant of Bucharest that produces 7,000 items monthly. The chain also has six own stores, mostly in Bucharest.
On the Romanian fashion market, valued at over EUR1 billion annually, these Romanian brands battle tens of international names that enjoy both their brand renown and the financial power of their parent companies.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)