From petrol stations, financial services, coffee outlets, to holiday packages, hypermarket networks are attempting to attract more customers, with more services, banking not only on competitive prices, but also on services that complement the sale of consumer goods.

By offering more services, hypermarkets hope to persuade customers to spend more time in their stores. Carrefour, the biggest hypermarket network in terms of sales, has recently announced a more aggressive marketing policy, which will not just focus on prices. This year, the French company introduced two complementary services (which were both tested on more developed markets): the sale of travel packages and photo development, and also re-launched its loyalty card with the aid of BRD Finance.

Real Hypermarket, part of German company Metro, which launched its first store domestically last year, works with the same institution. Real hypermarkets are also developing a network of restaurants located in several of the company's shopping galleries, which is a concept only introduced in Romania.

Carrefour Romania plans to open a Carrefour Voiaj office (a travel agency) in each of the network's hypermarkets, and reach 16 stores by the end of next year. At present, the Carrefour Voiaj unit has 24 employees and 5 agencies in Bucharest, Ploiesti, Brasov and Constanta.

The French have also tested Carrefour petrol stations in Romania, and currently hold one such station (opened in 2002) near to the store in the Militari district.

Carrefour's rival, Real Hypermarket, is testing a new concept in Romania, which is a network of bistros located in shopping galleries next to hypermarkets.

Another new player on the segment of hypermarkets, French company Auchan, introduced the Accord bank onto the Romanian market. Through Accord, set up by Banque Accord, part of Auchan group specialising