Praktiker Romania sees sales decline by 24.4 percent in the first three quarters

German DIY retailer Praktiker saw a 24.4 percent decline of its sales in Romania (-26.1 percent like-for-like) in the first nine months of the year to a total of EUR 116.1 million, according to the company’s report.

“The economic environment in the international business remained highly uneven in the third quarter of 2011 ranging from countries with high economic growth such as Turkey to countries with lingering economic difficulties and massive fiscal problems such as Greece. Here, like in Romania or Bulgaria, private consumption and retail sales continued to decline,” reads the company’s report. Alongside Greece, Romania is cited as one of the company’s key international markets.

Poor results In Romania come after last year also the company has reported sales decreases. Praktiker Romania reported net sales of EUR 193.6 million in 2010, 21.8 percent less than the previous year, due to the general economic climate and an overall decline in the DIY market. In 2010, Praktiker had a 6.4 percent market share in Romania and its main competitors were Dedeman (6.5 percent), Bricostore (4.6 percent) and Baumax (2.9 percent), according to the retailer’s data.

Praktiker operates 110 stores on international markets, 27 of which are located in Romania. The retailer also has operations in Luxembourg, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Albania.

In the first nine months of the year, Praktiker has reported total international sales worth EUR 688.2 million, down by 9.5 percent on the same period of last year. Sales in Germany amounted to EUR 1.17 billion for Praktiker stores and another EUR 540 million for Max Bahr, the retailer’s premium store brand. Praktiker took over the Max Bahr network in 2006.