Carturesti: Over 30 projects are shelved, waiting for the right moment

Carturesti business was set up by Serban Radu and Nicoleta Dumitru in 2000 and last year reached 6.3m-euro turnover, up 12.5% from 2008. “We have three new stores, the one at the French Institute of Bucharest, one in Brasov, opened last December and a store opened last month in Arad. We want to open further stores, but we’ll announce them at the right time,” said Radu, without specifying the value of investments. After the new openings, the retail area rose to around 3,000 square metres overall and sales advanced in the first quarter compared with the corresponding period of 2009. Carturesti works with over 300 suppliers of Romania and abroad, and 60% of turnover is generated by books and the rest of 40% by music, movies, tea and other products. As regards the investment budget Carturesti works with this year, the Romanian entrepreneur says there are many shelved projects, over 30, and that they will be developed, in turn, at the tight time. Radu does not take into account selling the company that employs almost 200 people.