From greening their business to training the next generation of entrepreneurs, from funding SMEs to bringing an ailing company back from the brink, some players on the local market defied the tough trading conditions to shine in 2015. This year’s Business Review Awards celebrate these high achievers. Who are they, and what did they do?
Judging criteria: business growth over the previous year; sustainable development strategy; market position; quality of HR policies; development of new best practices in the industry; implementation of industry best practices; exceptional business growth benchmarked against other industry players; spectacular turnarounds of troubled businesses (over the past two years).
Transavia
Transavia produces over 60,000 tons of poultry meat annually in its own breeding farms located in seven Romanian counties: Alba, Cluj, Sibiu, Brasov, Harghita, Caraș Severin
and Timiș. With a market share of over 20 percent in the domestic market, Transavia’s products are distributed and sold in almost all of the retail chains and 15 percent of the company’s annual production goes to the export market in several European countries.
In 2015, Transavia made a series of investments in order to increase its production capacities, from the acquisition of new equipment to different works of modernization and expansion. The investment made by the company last year reached almost EUR 25 million.
Unicredit Leasing
In 2015, UniCredit Leasing expanded its product portfolio with the launch of new financing offers: medical equipment financing, the buyback product designed to increase customer loyalty in the automotive segment as well as credit financing of agriculture projects (through the National Program for Rural Development). Additionally, 2015 marked the completion of BEI fund allocation by UniCredit Leasing, with a total worth of EUR 50 million. UniCredit has maintained its leading position in the leasing industry, with a constant market share of 18 percent in the past five years.
World Class Romania
Fitness chain, World Class, has undergone a massive expansion plan in 2015 by opening eight new clubs, which required an EUR 8 million investment. In addition, the fitness chain has launched W by World Class, as a new fitness and lifestyle concept. Currently, World Class Romania has 19 fitness centers in Bucharest, Timisoara and Cluj, including W by World Class club and W Le Club, with over 35,000 active members. Its membership rose 30 percent in 2015 against the previous year.
Here are the other categories from the BR Awards: Community Involvement, Online Strategy for Business Development, Innovation in Technology, Best Startup Supporter, Best SMEs Financing Line Program, Best Turnaround Strategy, Best Employment Initiative, Entrepreneur of the Year, Deal of the Year, Business Leader of the Year, Best International Expansion.