ROMANIA: Polish company Dr Gerard to open local branch | Progresiv

Dr Gerard, one of the largest manufacturers of biscuits and wafers in Central and Eastern Europe, opened the Dr Gerard Romania branch, the country manager position being held by Otilia Stanciu, former marketing manager of Dobrogea.

Currently, Dr Gerard markets in Romania a diverse range of products in categories such as biscuits, wafers, crakers, cookies or sponge fingers. Romania is just one of the 30 markets in which the company exports, this activity holding a share of more than 30% of the company’s sales.

Although the local branch was inaugurated recently, the Poles’ products are already known for many years to Romanian consumers through imports, and the collaborations from the private label segment. "Our objective for the coming years is to achieve a major position on all markets in Central and Eastern Europe where we are present. It applies to the Polish internal market, where we have been growing for over twenty years, as well as to the markets in Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. For years we are exporting our products in these markets, and operate there through local companies, developing sales structures and investing in marketing", said Jaroslaw Zawadzki, CEO Dr Gerard.

Dr Gerard began its activity in Poland, where it owns several manufacturing facilities and has recently purchased one of the main competitors, Artur, from Mieszko Group. In 2013 the company was acquired by private equity fund Bridgepoint from Poult Group in France. Last year, the company reported a turnover of 70 million euros, up by 16% from 2013.