Prodvinalco's answer to the crisis

Andi Dascăl, general manager of Prodvinalco, a producer of alcoholic drinks, who at the onset of the crisis planned to win the battle with cash, says that at the end of 2010 sums in the company’s accounts reached 12.7m lei (3m euros), up 22% from 2009.

“We put more pressure on receipts and on payment term extension. It is not profit that counts the most during crisis periods. We launched a product on the sub-low-price segment, Doi Cai Frumoși, with minor margins, and the plan was to keep this low price level for six months and then consider profit as well,” Dascăl told ZF.

The Cluj-based company in 2010 posted turnover of 75.97m lei (18m euros) and net income worth 2.5m lei (0.6m euros).

The company announced it finalised its budget for the next five years, a budget that includes product launches on the one hand and rising sales on the other one. As the market will fall until 2012, Andi Dascăl says this is effectively a war for growth, the name given to the company’s strategy.