Elvila shuts down small stores to focus on showrooms

Elvila group, the furniture manufacturer and retailer controlled businessman Viorel Catarama, will continue its expansion with larger stores, and has medium-term plans that target another three showrooms, which will cover 4,000 square metres, following investments worth 12 million euros.
The targeted cities are Pitesti, Craiova and Timisoara, and the stores will be similar in size to the most recently opened Elvila store in Ploiesti, which entailed investments worth around 4 million euros. Additionally, there is the planned expansion of partner networks (franchisees and distributors), with 10 new stores expected to open this year.
At present, the Elvila retail network numbers 52 stores.
All these investments are considered growth drivers for Elvila’s turnover, after the company forecast 10% higher sales compared with the 112 million-euro sales posted at the end of 2007.
“Elvila group generated an overall turnover worth around 112 million euros. For 2008, turnover is expected to continue to increase, and we expect a 10% rise compared with 2007. Turnover growth has been prompted by the continued expansion of the store network, and the development and modernisation of our furniture portfolio,” say representatives of Elvila’s marketing department.
The group consists of 4 companies, 3 of which are involved in furniture manufacturing. Of these, the company with the highest turnover is Elvila SA, which reported turnover worth 28 million euros last year, slightly down on 2006.
The launch of new stores, such as the one in Ploiesti, will also lead to a rethinking of the stores where the Elvila brand is present on the local market. In this respect, some stores will close so as not to compete with the already existing ones, as well as to avoid additional costs.
“After the largest store opened in Ploiesti, which is a much more modern and extensive store, located in the city’s commercial district, the old store was closed. The stores in Sibiu, Oradea, and in Bucharest-based Auchan have also been closed, due to being difficult to position on the market and to having a limited area. The stores were opened in rented locations,” explain the representatives.
In terms of promotion, the company’s leading project last year was the launch of its product catalogue and a new website, an investment that amounted to 0.6 million euros.