“The market advanced at a very slow pace, but it grew. Overall, the entire year increase will stand at 5%-10%,” Stefanescu told ZF.
He added that mobile telephony operators are still leading the market, with a share of around 85%, as users prefer buying their terminal at a lower price together with a subscription or in a package that also includes a prepaid card. “The market that is left is very small,” says Stefanescu.
As for his own business, Gersim’s owner says that he saw two-digit growth in the first eight months, as the company in January became the distributor of South Korea’s Samsung.
With Samsung distribution, says Stefanescu, Gersim managed to seal more contracts as the company was able to come up with a larger product offer. “If we got to distribute Nokia cell phones, then we’d have a complete portfolio,” he says.
When it comes to the company’s profit, Stefanescu says he cannot estimate how exactly the year will end at this moment. “This year, we sacrificed profit for market share,” he said. Last year, according to Finance Ministry data, Gersim Impex had net income of EUR720,000 amid turnover worth almost EUR20 million.
What kind of phones are people buying now? Stefanescu says he has noticed that people are buying either phones priced at over EUR150 or the very cheap ones, priced at EUR15-EUR20, while medium-priced phones (EUR55 to EUR60) lost market share. The very cheap phones continue to generate the highest sales volumes. Sales of smartphones and tablets are on the rise, Stefanescu added.
Gersim’s owner is optimistic about the second half of the year and the last quarter: “Sales are going to rise. We hope the rule by which the fourth quarter brings sales matching the level of the first two quarters of the year holds true.”
Last year, Gersim Impex sold one cell phone per minute on average, ending the year with approximately 340,000 sold units, around 10% of the market.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)