ROMANIA: GoodMills closes Titan baking factory. Part of the assets already sold | Progresiv
Austrian group GoodMills will close Titan baking factory from Pantelimon, Ilfov county. Some of the assets have already been sold to a local company, Bake Expert, who also took over this year the bread and pasty stores of the group. Thus, having given up the retail business, the Austrians also give up the local production of bread and remain only with the milling business in Romania. 
"As a result of the strategic focus of its activities in the milling segment and after several attempts to streamline the bakery technical manufacturing activity, GoodMills Romania was forced to cease operating the factory held by the company in Pantelimon, Ilfov county", according to a press release of the company.
Dragos Serb, owner of Bake Expert and former manager of GoodMills confirmed for Progresiv the takeover of some assets from the Titan bread factory: "Ever since the negotiations for the purchase of the store chain we discussed a possible transfer of the bread specialities production line, this will strengthen the store chain business, which is built around these products. "
Bake Expert company acquired in July this year the chain of stores from GoodMills Romania, currently operating 40 specialized stores in Bucharest, of which 17 branded Casa Brutarilor and 23 Belforno Fresh.
According to information published by GoodMills, the Titan baking factory has a total of 6 fully automated lines with a capacity of 270,000 pieces per day, and over 700 delivery points in Bucharest and the neighboring towns. In addition, in the same location there is a line of pastries and frozen bread production capabilities.
The company's decision will affect about 250 employees. GoodMills said it will provide severance pay packages for the people that will remain unemployed. The closure of the factory will be completed on January 31, 2017.
In the Pantelimon complex just outside Bucharest, the group also owns two wheat mills and a corn mill with an annual capacity of processing 223,000 tons. There is also a factory that produces buns and toast, covering an area of 4000 square meters, which supplies McDonald’s restaurants chain.
In September 2016 Lantmannen Unibake, an international bakery group with a turnover of 1.1 bln. Euro, announced the acquisition of this plant (operated through Frozen Bakery Products SA with 80 employees).
On the other side, GoodMills invested lately in the milling division. In March this year, the Austrians launched a new brand on the local grain mill products market (flour, corn flour and manna), Raftul Bunicii (Grandmother’s Shelf) with an aggressive strategy of promotion.
GoodMills is active in Romania since 2007, when it entered the market by acquiring Loulis S.A., later on the company being renamed Titan S.A. In 2014, Titan S.A. It was rebranded GoodMills Romania. The company also owns a mill complex in Targu Mures.
Internationally, the group has over 2,200 employees and a turnover of about 830 million euros (financial year 2014/2015). It owns more than 25 mills in 7 countries in Central and Eastern Europe - Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Germany and Austria.
