“Sales have been on an upward trend. We’ve had a 15% increase in sales of safes since the beginning of the year, given the lack of confidence in the banking system and the need to protect one’s assets,” says Ionut Vlasceanu, sales manager of HCS Romtrade, which has been active in Romania since 1991. The company, controlled by Mihai Parascan, sells safes to individuals and companies alike, from hotel companies to banks.
HCS Romtrade sells Austrian Rottner-Tresor safes on the local market. It has reported sales of 2.5 million lei (EUR590,000) and a net profit of RON481,000 (EUR113,000) for 2010, according to Finance Ministry data. In addition, the company had 15 employees last year.
Its competition on the market includes Astra and Tech Safes.
There are no data available about the value of the local safe market, but the market is said to be in its early stages. As such, there are not many companies active on this segment. (EUR1=RON4.2525)