UniCredit launches bid to corner retail sector

UniCredit Romania, the local branch of one of the leading Italian banking groups, UniCredito Italiano, is finally tackling the retail market. The company is ready to introduce something to make it stand out from amongst its rivals: banking and non-banking products and services.

Relying on the attraction of products that have been developed across the group, UniCredit is tempting potential clients with a number of benefits that are included in the annual fixed fee – from credit and debit cards to reduced-rate stays in certain hotels.

The three recently launched packages have Italian sounding names, which the bank hopes will help attract their clients’ interest.

Comodo, Allegro and Presto include, in various combinations, full banking services (such as Internet and Mobile Banking); debit and credit cards; utility payment through Direct Debit; a 10% reduction in the standard fees for a wide range of banking operations; and flexible maturity deposits.

The main difference between the three packages concerns the cards available: up to three Maestro debit cards are included in the Comodo scheme, up to three Standard MasterCard credit cards for Allegro and three Gold MasterCard credit cards for Presto.

The cards are tied to the same traditional current account, either in ROL or foreign currency.

Along with a series of strategic partners, UniCredit Romania has started to develop partnership programmes that offer price cuts and other incentives to clients who choose a specific package. An example in this regard is the programme run in partnership with Continental hotel chain.

The packages start from the equivalent of $24 per year for Comodo, reaching $36 a year for Allegro and $72 a year for Presto. The bank is following the marketing philosophy that encourages “packaged” sales, with bundled products and services costing less than if they were bought separately.

The purchase of any of the three packages means an end to fees for withdrawing deposits within three days of the due date, no activation fees for Internet Banking and Mobile Banking services, and an end to fees relating to the issuing and annual maintenance of cards.

Viewed with a certain concern by competitors, UniCredit has thoroughly prepared for the launch of the new retail offers, even at the risk of breaking the initially announced deadlines. Last year the bank made strong network expansion efforts, which led it to its current chain of 31 offices – 12 of which are in Bucharest and 19 in major cities. The retail experience of the parent bank could bring increasingly complex, consumer-specific products and services to the market.
razvan.voican@zf.ro