Kaufland remains the leader of the food retail market in Romania | Progresiv
Kaufland Romania reported a turnover of 9.691 billion LEI (2.134 billion euros, at a rate of 1 EUR = 4.5411 lei - n.red) in the calendar year 2016, marking a growth rate of only 5.6%, below the one registred in 2015, when there was a 15% increase in business. With this results, Kaufland remains the leader of the local retail market, followed by the french retail operator Carrefour. 
"For us, it is more important the results behind the figures, because we have a mission that puts people and the quality of life in the center. That's why the result is good news that we are a strong, fulfilled team, ready to help and we have the trust of the customers that show us that we are the number one choice for them", says Marco Hößl, General Manager of Kaufland Romania.
Among the projects implemented by Kaufland Romania in 2016 we mention:
- the first public high-speed electric car charging network (with Renovatio);
- the GLOBALG.A.P certification program for the quality of Romanian fruit and vegetable crops;
- launching the first Scan & Pay mobile application in Romania;
- over 200 CSR projects developed with partner NGOs in areas such as social causes, health, education, sport, environmental protection and cultural events.
Also, Kaufland remains one of the largest employers in the country: in 2016, an average of 14,070 Romanians worked in the company, 6% more than the average of 2015, while the average age in the team is 36 years. Last but not least, Kaufland's contribution to Romania's state budget in 2016 was over 640 million lei (over 140 million euros).
The Germans currently operate 115 hypermarkets in Romania, three more than at the end of 2016. For the year 2017, Kaufland plans include: expanding investments, opening new stores, upgrading all existing hypermarkets in the network, launching customer news, and continuing initiatives to support Romanian producers. Also, at the end of last year, the retailer also spoke about starting work in the e-commerce area in the second half of 2017. Overall, we are talking about an investment level similar to last year.
