The FMCG distribution market is dominated by entrepreneurs and enables sales of almost RON10 billion in Romania a year, according to the latest available data.
Interbrands Marketing & Distribution was the market leader again. The company is held by chief executive officer Rand Sherif and by Holson Holding registered in Cyprus and owned by Lebanese shareholders (the Sarkis family).
Interbrands Marketing & Distribution ended 2014 with RON672 million revenue, according to the non-audited financial results the company supplied for ZF’s “Cei mai mari jucatori din economie” (“Key players in the economy”) yearbook.
Interbrands therefore posted 8% year-year growth in 2014, according to ZF calculations. It does distribution for Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Procter & Gamble, Kotanyi, Henkel, Tchibo and Mondelez.
Its main rivals are Macromex (Dan Minulescu), Aquila – a group held by Catalin Vasile and Alin Dociu and Whiteland.
Second largest FMCG distribution business is Aquila Part Prod Com, a member of the Aquila group, which posted RON597 million revenue in 2014, 6% higher than in 2013, ZF has calculated based on Trade Registry data.
Aquila includes Aquila Part Prod Com, SECA Distribution, which distributes Wrigley and Ferrero, Nordexim Coffee Services – food and coffee vending machines and water for water coolers, Aquila Construct, Standard AVD Serbia and Trigor AVD Republic of Moldova, according to the group website.
Whiteland Import Export, which distributes Hochland dairy products, too, posted growth last year. The company held by James Kodor and Lavinia Yassien saw RON457 million revenue in 2014, an increase of 8% on 2013.
Macromex was the top performer in terms of growth, 13%, and its revenue reached RON442 million in 2014, according to the data it supplied to ZF.
Macromex has turned to foreign markets in the last few years, as well, and its latest plans include development of the La Strada brand made in France. Dan Minulescu sold ten of his companies to a group in Denmark and signed a partnership with that group for the distribution of La Strada in northern Europe. Dan Minulescu, CEO and owner of Macromex, said the Danish market had a high development potential for the next two years.
Last among the five largest FMCG distributors is Punctual Comimpex based in Cluj-Napoca, a company held and run by Vasile Muresan. It distributes the products of cigarette manufacturers and importers in Romania (BAT, JTI, Philip Morris, China Tobacco Hongta Hering) to rural customers mainly. (EUR1=RON4.4407)
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)