Praktiker's No. 1 priority: expansion

Praktiker Romania, the largest home improvement network on the local market, ended 2007 with an over 60% sales increase, to 251.4 million euros. Excluding the contribution of the new stores opened last year, and the expansion of existing stores, the company posted a sales increase of 21.5% in 2007 against 2006. The expansion of the network by 4 stores in 2007, through investments worth 32-40 million euros, brought the number of Praktiker stores in Romania to 20. The company also invested in the expansion of the sales surface area of three established stores last year. “The main challenge faced by Praktiker Romania is to maintain a rapid and consistent increase in the number of network stores throughout the country. This is the number one priority of our strategy,” said Guenter Vosskaemper, general manager of Praktiker Romania. The company predicts an expansion rate of around 4-5 new stores each year, and expects to reach over 30 stores in Romania.