Romanians would rather play pool than build pools

To some people, the fact that 100 swimming pools are built every year in a country so poor may seem a tragic irony. Others, though, might see it as a sign of the long awaited normality.

Unlike a deluxe car, the pool can be shown only to a small number of people, which might explain why such lifestyle accessory is not as widespread as the much more expensive cars.

Romanians, like French people, regard the pool as a luxury. But this is where the differences between our small market and one of the most thriving businesses in Europe start.

Pool makers in Romania do not get more than $2 million from selling their product, as they deliver a little more than 100 pools a year, whereas in France, this is the daily average.

Why so little? For one thing, it is about the money. The cheapest pools, made of propylene, cost $2000. The price of a deluxe pool may reach well beyond $15,000. All this in addition to the fact that a pool needs a large yard, first.

“Pool makers are like minstrels, namely they are divided into two categories – some build pools because they are good at it and tell you how you are supposed to maintain the water quality, others know they can make lots of money out of it and “play by ear”, without telling the clients how they are supposed to maintain the water in the pool clean maybe because they don’t know this themselves,” says Marcel Toader, owner of a private club that has a pool, as well.

“Romanians prefer curvilinear pools, unlike French or Germans who usually go for rectangular ones. The Romanian consumers are also big fans of variable depth pools suitable for families, unlike the Germans who are not very fond of jumps and choose flat bottom pools,” Cristina Georgescu, executive manager with pool maker Kasta Metal, told Ziarul Financiar.

Pool makers mainly receive orders from high-income people, while the orders in the public pool sector are placed by hotels, health spas or sports clubs.

The only pools MADE IN ROMANIA are those made of concrete, while the other types which are modular (galvanised steel modules) or made of propylene or fibre glass are only assembled in the country from the components previously shipped in from other countries.

The internal market offers clients pools for private residences and public pools. Most of them remain a secret well guarded by the tall fences of the villas around Bucharest.

Romania does not register more than 100 pools sold every year, compared with 250,000 in the United States or 175,000 in Canada.

In the West here are many pool buyers part of the high and medium-income and the number of clients keeps growing, as pool building has a certain tradition, the situation in Romania is rather awkward.