Star Foods, from potato chips to women's accessories

Better known to consumers both as a producer and distributor of potato chips and snacks, Star Foods Romania has decided to invest on the non-food market as well.

The company is planning to become involved in the women’s accessory business, through a joint venture with the Greek store chain Alexi Andriotti, Star Foods manager Kostas Mitzalis says.

For the beginning, the two companies will open three stores in Bucharest, under the Alexi Andriotti brand. Mitzalis would not disclose the investment entailed by this move.

Such an investment can amount to several hundred thousand dollars, depending on the location and the size of the stores. “First of all, we are going to open five stores in Poland and another three in Bucharest by yearend or the beginning of next year,” Mitzalis said.

Alexi Andriotti’s stores were established in the late ’90s, in Greece, and the chain currently comprises 27 stores, mainly Greece-based. For this year, the company aims to open about 13 more units. The stores sell products coming from exotic countries such as Brazil, Morocco, China, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand and India.

The accessories are made of non-conventional materials such as leather, shells or animal horns.

Over the past years, several chain stores providing women’s accessories have entered the Romanian market, with Meli Melo, Totem and You&Me among the most popular.

Increasingly more Greek chain stores having been granted the franchise for the Balkans by some worldwide brands have also entered the Romanian market.

The Marinopoulos group, owner of the Marks&Spencer and Beauty Shop franchises, opened its first store in Bucharest Mall in 1999. Notos, another Greek company, opened the first Lacoste store in Romania last year.

claudia.covaci@zf.ro