Astral Impex posts 168m-euro turnover

Astral Impex, one of the largest FMCG distributors on the market, a partner of producers Philip Morris, Kraft Foods and Wrigley, posted an almost 168 million-euro (560.4 million-RON) turnover last year, up 28.5% against 2006. In addition, profit reached one million euros, compared with the almost 0.8 million euros in the previous year. Siblings Ioan and Floare Cuc, who introduced the SPAR supermarket network to the domestic market through a licensing contract, hold Arad-based Astral Impex. “The turnover continued the positive trend seen over the last few years, and even the sales posted in 2007 exceeded our expectations, after they registered an above 10% increase,” said Dana Blaga, economic manager of Astral Impex. Blaga specified that the business’s development strategy entails vertical development in the distribution networks already covered, improving the coverage of areas such as Bucharest, Brasov and Bacau, and a stronger presence in the modern retail sector.