Unirea Store is undergoing plastic surgery

For several decades, the people from the country or from Bucharest knew serious shopping meant going to Unirea. The socialist trade store had a special status: this is where all sorts of deficient items were possible to find more often than in any other shop.

This is where the automatic washing machines made in Cugir were sold and this is where you would pick up your Telecolor (the only colour TV available in shops during the socialist age) if you had got your approval first.

Over the last ten years, the Unirea store in Bucharest has lived off its name and good location only. It became a huge bazaar and kept on deteriorating under the administration of the state and due to the lack of investments.

Now, the new management is trying to make up for the ground lost against the competitors, mainly against the Mall, which has become one of Bucharest’s attractions. They are trying to rid Unirea of the “department store of Cocor, Bucur Obor and Victoria type” complex.

“We want to assume a new modern identity. This is why we’re trying to promote the new format and the new name – Unirea Shopping Center,” says Dan Domnitanu, Unirea complex deputy general manager.

Nova Trade took over the Unirea Complex from the State Ownership Fund (SOF), holding 51% of shares. The new owners changed the administration and launched the change process of the business concept Unirea was based on.

The investments began in 2000, $3 million being directed to refurbishment, interior design and consolidation. This year’s estimated investments amount to $5 million.

“Starting this year, we’ll use an integrated campaign – a new creation concept and an event campaign,” the development manager, Adrian Sandu said.

He specified that the studies the company ordered showed one major trump card: more than 3 out of 4 clients come to Unirea to buy things and not just for window shopping.

Now, Unirea has to get rid of its being the first general store of the socialist trade, as the current mainstream is that customers should enjoy shopping more than purchasing one particular item.

The others’ key to success will be fully used up: at the end of October, several fast-food restaurants and fast-meal restaurants as well as entertainment halls will open at the fourth floor of the central building. Domnitanu says that the population’s interest has shifted to large malls.

Unirea Shopping Center has benefited from the upward consuming trend posted by the individuals with above-average incomes. “We think this trend will maintain this year.

The competition will however get tighter as large international companies such as Carrefour or Selgros have announced they will enter the Romanian market soon,” said Domnitanu.

“A daily average of 17,000 consumers visited the store last year, with the peak of 35,000 daily visitors in December, when the total number of visitors exceeded one million. The daily visitors’ average was 26,000 over the first months of this year.”