Food retail last year contracted by 5% in terms of volume from 2008, on a market where sales in large store networks went up 8%, reveals a survey conducted by MEMRB research company in 2009.

Drinks posted the biggest decline, of 15%, in terms of volume. Beer and carbonated soft drinks, the broadest segments of the market, fell by 20% and 16%, respectively, in the above-mentioned period.

In their turn, detergents, one of the largest segments of the non-food consumer goods sector, registered 18% lower sales last year from 2008, whereas the biggest market of FMCG - cigarettes, contracted by 12% in terms of volume.

"The crisis brought generalised declines in the consumer goods field which fell by 10% in terms of volume in 2009. The decline gathered momentum in the second quarter of the year," says Marius Caluian, head of MEMRB.

In line with MEMRB data, the total number of operational stores on the consumer goods market in 2009 dropped from 91,000 units to almost 87,000 units. Practically, 4,000 units vanished from traditional retail, while international retailers operated further expansion investments despite the deteriorating economic environment.

Insolvencies turned into a phenomenon in retail in 2009, as small district stores, owned by Romanian entrepreneurs, were seriously hurt by diving consumption, the lending freeze and the charge of international supermarket, hypermarket and discounter networks.

"In traditional retail, all store types coped with slumping sales, while modern retail maintained an upward trend, with a sales growth pace of 8% in terms of volume and 13% in terms of value in 2009 year-on-year," says the MEMRB official.

Sales in traditional retail fell by 15% in terms of volume in 2009 from 2008 and by 5% in value.

Last year, the large store networks' battle for clients focused on promotions and the private l