German group Metro, the biggest retailer on the Romanian market, which operates a chain of 50 Metro Cash & Carry and Real stores, posted a 7.1% sales increase in Eastern Europe, to 12 billion euros in the first nine months of the year owing to the recovery of markets such as Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, while Romanian sales were weaker in the third quarter, at least as far as Real hypermarkets are concerned.
“In the third quarter the sales rise slowed down compared with
the first half of the year. In addition to a slower expansion rate,
the sales decline in Romanian stores was responsible for the
slowdown. In July Romanian retail was affected by the austerity
measures adopted in view of reducing the budget deficit. Sales in
Poland, on the other hand, improved significantly against the
second quarter of this year,” say Metro officials, referring to
sales of Real hypermarkets. Metro representatives did not specify
the value of sales.
Last year Metro posted 1.356 billion euros in sales through its
Cash & Carry division, while Real hypermarkets reached 760
million euros in sales, according to data from the Romanian Trade
Registry