German retailer Metro Cash & Carry, one of the largest retailers in Romania with investments of over €1 billion in the local market said it would open at least one Metro Point, a smaller reseller store, by the end of the year.
“We plan to open at least one Metro Point, but for the time being we’re searching for a location for the store”, the company said. The unit will be opened by the end of the year.
Company officials added that the new store will have the same size as the unit it had opened in April this year, in Satu Mare. The store will have 2,000 sqm, four-times less than a regular Metro Cash&Carry store. The unit in Satu Mare represented investments of around €1 million and markets over 3,000 food and non-food items.
The retailer opened in early May its fifth store in Bucharest in Policolor area, which represented an investment of €15-20 million. The 8,300-sqm store will sell over 19,000 products.
“Metro Point concept is our response to the needs of customers who had problems getting to large Metro stores, due to heavy traffic and infrastructure. Practically, with these stores, we plan to increase frequency of sales to smaller retailers”, said recently Dusan Wilms (photo), chief executive Metro Cash & Carry Romania at the opening of the new store in Policolor area in Bucharest.
Metro Cash & Carry has a network of 26 units in Romania. The company launched earlier this week a co-branded card in partnership with UniCredit Tiriac Bank, which offers customers (legal persons) a credit line of €35,000, but not more than the average monthly turnover of the customer’s business.
