Goodyear seeks profit boost

Goodyear Dunlop Tires Romania, the importer and distributor of Goodyear tyres in Romania, will focus on high-end tyres this year as part of its strategy to boost profits on this market. The company”s turnover will remain the same as last year, but profits are expected to grow by at least 30%. “We have reached a strong position on the market, with nearly 40% of our respective segment, the replacements market (which excludes sales of tyres for new vehicles). We decided it was time to focus on making a profit, which means developing strongly on the premium tyre segment that provides high performance and higher margins,” said Octavian Velcan, general manager of Goodyear Dunlop Tires Romania. The company expects to end this year with turnover close to the 926bn ROL (23 million euros) in achieved in 2004. “Profits will go up by more than 30% this year,” said Velcan, adding that this estimate had been confirmed in the first four months of the year, which saw turnover come close to last year”s levels for the same period, while profits were up 30%. ZF