Aquila goes past 115 million euros

The Aquila Romanian group, one of the major players on the distribution market, for this year forecasts an approximately 30% increase in turnover from 2005, as the group aims to develop on the logistics market in order to be prepared for EU integration.

The group last year derived turnover worth 116 million euros, up almost 32% year-on-year. “We registered this increase due to an ambitious medium-term development policy,” said Doru Atomei, who is in charge of development at Aquila.

However, of this total, more than 15 million euros were contributions by Aquila subsidiaries operating in the Balkan states, where the company has been expanding since 2001.

“We officially entered the logistics market last year by opening the first logistic centre of more than 10,000 square metres in Ploiesti. This decision was triggered by the rising demand for modern warehousing space and for integrated logistic services,” explained Atomei.

The logistic centre in Ploiesti entailed investments worth 4 million euros and services the personal and house care unit, as well as the food unit of the giant Unilever.

Over the forthcoming period, the company will open its second logistic centre, also at a cost of 4 million euros, which will be located close to the city of Cluj-Napoca. This will allow the company”s turnover to continue at the same pace of growth as last year.

“Preparation for EU integration, and not turnover growth, will be the group”s main target this year. In the wake of EU integration, there will be plenty of opportunities, both horizontally and vertically, and the market will boom. Traditional trade may no longer hold the same majority percentage as before, but pragmatically speaking, products will have to leave the factory gates and be taken to store shelves by someone,” said Doru Atomei.

Romania”s EU integration will bring logistics and distribution companies like Aquila other benefits, too.

“Beside new partnership opportunities, an immediate benefit will emerge in the international shipment market as the previously necessary bilateral shipment licences will be done away with. This will yield higher mobility in setting routes and will eliminate unproductive stopping times,” stated Romeo Dumitru, head of the Transportation and Logistics unit of Aquila.

The company for the first time entered the foreign market in 2001, when it set up Trigor AVD firm in the Republic of Moldova.