Romdis, the provider of logistic and distribution services for the McDonald's chain of restaurants, has registered a 32% increase in turnover (in euros) for the first quarter of this year against the same period in 2006. The growth rate translates as 26% in RON, for the same period.

Romdis could reach a turnover worth 35.7m euros (117m RON) by the yearend, according to the company's own estimates.

"In the first quarter, we generated figures above the market average. However, we have not reviewed our 15% turnover growth target for this year against 2006," stated Dumitru Apostol, chief financial officer with Romdis.

Last year, the distributor derived a turnover worth 30.2m euros, up 27% against 2005. Simultaneously, the company's gross income progressed by almost 100%, to more than 0.5m euros, according to company data.

Romdis plans to expand its logistic capacities, a project that will be presented to the company's shareholders for approval.

Romdis was created in 1995 as the Romanian office of the Alpha Management GmbH group, a provider of integrated logistic services for the FMCG sector.

Alpha Management GmbH is a member of the Alpha Group, which was created in 1981, in Germany, to provide logistic services to the McDonald's restaurant network. The Alpha Group currently distributes catering raw materials to around 4,000 McDonald's restaurants, in 32 European countries. The two companies entered the Romanian market, in 1995, almost simultaneously and continued their existing international partnership.

The McDonald's fast-food network, which currently includes 52 domestic outlets, plans to open around 50 new restaurants in the medium and long term, encouraged by Romanian consumers' rising incomes. It plans to open four outlets this year. McDonald's Romania, which is the biggest chain of fast-food restaurants on the Romanian mar