Proton targets around 50m-euro turnover

Proton Technologies, a retailer and distributor of mobile phones and GSM accessories with operations concentrated in the region of Moldova, posted business worth 40.2 million RON (12.44 million euros) in the third quarter of this year, up 23.31% against the same time last year.
The turnover increase stood at over 35% against the third quarter of 2006 and was influenced by this year’s exchange rate trend.
According to its own estimates, the company is the third largest partner of mobile telephone operator Orange Romania, and has a 73-store network.
“We maintain our year-end estimates of deriving turnover worth around 50 million euros, and could potentially exceed this sum,” Gabriel Sandu, 32, general manager and owner of the company, told ZF.
“We are benefiting from consolidation in 2006, which created a perfectly functional and competitive GSM business environment. When, amid an increase in the number of new Orange Shops, most Orange partners saw lower turnovers, and did not meet their targets (…), Proton achieved its plans. Consequently, we improved our market share for Orange subscriptions, from 6% to 8%, without any new POS openings since the beginning of the year.
Orange, our main partner, reported 700,000 more clients in Q3, including around 150,000 brought to the network by Proton (140,000 prepaid cards and 10,000 subscriptions), i.e. around 21% of new clients,” explained Sandu.
“Given the moderate slowdown registered by the subscriptions market, in anticipation of saturation, and intensified competition among operators (…), Proton has experienced a rather linear trajectory, influenced exclusively by seasonal sales,” added Sandu.