Romaqua plans 7% growth for Borsec

Romaqua, the bottler of Borsec mineral water, is planning to achieve a 7% growth in mineral water sales for 2005, given its close to 6% growth this year, according to Octavian Cretu, the company chairman.

“Competition will increase next year and the market will become a crowded place. We saw about 6% growth this year,” Cretu said. Last year, the company bottled about 200 million litres of Borsec mineral water.

Data from market research companies show the top three mineral water brands in Romania to be Borsec (Romaqua), Dorna (Coca-Cola HBC Romania), and Izvorul Minunilor (European Drinks), arranged here in alphabetic order

Cretu did not provide details of the company’s turnover this year, saying only it was better than the growth in volume. According to some estimates, Romaqua generated some 45-50 million euros in turnover last year. The number of employees at the company reached 800. Besides mineral water, the company is also active on the coffee and carbonated soft-drinks market.

Romaqua invested 10 million euros in a carbonated soft-drinks factory in Busteni, which it opened this year when the company entered the soft-drinks market with its Giusto brand. “We plan to consolidate our position on the carbonated soft-drinks market next year, as well as enter the natural juice market,” added Cretu.

The company is currently investing in the opening of a mineral water source in Busteni in order to introduce a new brand of mineral water on the market. “We are now investing in the construction of the pipe to bring water from the source to the factory. I think the launch will come in 2006,” Cretu says.

Also this year, Romaqua Holdings tapped the coffee market with its Metropolitan brand, following an investment in a roasting and packaging factory in Bucharest. georgiana.stavarache@zf.ro