Storck allocates 1.8m euros for pralines

The Merci brand of special chocolate sold by Storck Austria on the Romanian market saw a 58% growth in sales in the first eight months of this year compared with the same time in 2004, thanks to higher budgets for marketing and the development of the distribution network. The company”s Toffifee range of pralines saw 25% higher sales for the same period, Storck officials say. “This year”s promotion budget will exceed 1.8 million euros (rate card), with most of the investment being run this autumn, when we allocated some 1.3 million euros for the two brands (Merci and Toffifee),” said Stefania Marian, Storck Austria”s product manager for Romania. “The products are still young on the market and they have not reached their growth peak, but the development of the distribution network led to a surge in sales,” Marian added. The company has increased its territorial coverage by 8% to 58% of the country since the beginning of the year. The chocolate market was estimated at 110-120 million dollars, with pralines accounting for 10% of the total. The main players on the market are Kandia-Excelent, Heidi and Kraft. Besides Merci and Toffifee, Storck sells Wethers Original, Riesen, Mamba and Knoppers (wafers) in Romania. Its distribution is handled by De Silva Intermed. ZF