Tiles manufacturer Alfa Ceramic estimates a twofold increase in the Romanian turnover this year after opening two proprietary stores this year, according to manager Walla Hanafi. According to him, the company sold 65,000 square meters of ceramic tiles per month in Romania last year and generated 3 million EUR in turnover.
"We are hoping that the business may grow to 7 million EUR and sales by 250% this year," Hanafi said. The tiles are produced in the company"s factory in Egypt. The company opened a proprietary store in Bucharest two months ago and is planning to open a second one, in the same city. "The Romanian market for such products is the second largest after Russia and stands at some 45 million square meters," Hanafi explained.
According to him, the products made in the Egyptian market offer the best value for the money, because the production technology is similar to the competition"s, but Egyptian labor is much cheaper.