German discounter Aldi has started recruiting a local management team ahead of its planned launch in Romania.
The news was confirmed to local business daily Ziarul Financiar by several sources from the retail and recruitment markets.
However, the paper also added that Aldi’s official entry on the Romanian market could take place in three to five years' time, or even later.
Rival Lidl arrived in Romania in 2002, when it started recruiting and buying land, before opening its first stores in the country in 2011.
Discount Segment
In Romania, the discount segment accounts for a 11% share of the grocery retail market, up from 8% in 2012 and 6% in 2008.
The two leading discounters, Lidl and Penny Market, have an annual turnover that reached €2 billion in 2016, according to estimates by the daily.
Overall, the grocery retail market in Romania is dominated by 10 foreign-owned companies, controlling about 60% of the €20 billion market.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
