Auchan, to add another 3-4 stores

French retailer Auchan has invested 40 million euros in its first hypermarket outside Bucharest, located in Targu-Mures, with the domestic arm of the French group announcing an aggressive expansion plan for the following years. Auchan, which launched its first hypermarket on the domestic market at the end of last year in Bucharest, is set to open another two hypermarkets this year, one in Cluj-Napoca within Polus Center, and one in Pitesti. At the same time, Auchan management expects 3 – 4 hypermarkets to be launched annually over the coming years. The store that recently opened in Targu-Mures has a sales area of 8,500 square metres and a car park with 1,600 spots. The hypermarket is located within European retail Park of Targu-Mures, a project developed by Belgium’s BelRom group. “The opening of the Targu-Mures hypermarket is important for us as it marks the launch of an ambitious expansion plan. Starting now, Auchan will keep up a sustained rate in terms of the opening of new hypermarkets,” said R?gis Mougel, the general manager of Auchan Romania. By opening Auchan Targu-Mures, the company created 450 jobs. Metro, Selgros, Real, Praktiker, Kaufland are already present on the market of Targu-Mures, while Billa and Carrefour will expand there in the coming period.