INTERVIEW of Mr Alexandros Mantikas, Country Manager of Neoset in Romania

According to your experience in Romania, what do you think about the franchise market in Romania?

The Romanian franchise market is growing rapidly and expected to reach 3 billion Euros by 2011. Retail is the most developed franchise sector in Romania with brand presence including Mango, Mexx and Zara. On the other hand, the services sector is the least developed but in demand for franchise businesses, so there is a good window of opportunity in that sector.

Is NEOSET known as a Greek company in Romania? In which cities do you have franchisees? How many more stores are you planning for 2012?

Neoset is a well known brand in Romania, established and respected for its quality, great service and innovative products. Currently the company has franchisee stores in Bucharest, Timisoara, Constanta, Pitesti, Baia Mare. For 2012 our company plans to open 2 more stores in cities we have identified have a lot of potential in the furniture

Nowadays, Greece and other European countries go through a crisis period. Is the Romanian market affected by the crisis?

As with every European country, Romania is also affected by the crisis, especially since the country went through its own financial crisis in 2009. Romanian economic expectations have improved significantly over the past twelve months, however recent analysis indicate that the prospects of Romania's economy in the next six months still looks weak. I feel that the biggest problem is the fact that Romanian consumers, like the Greeks, are affected by the uncertainty of their future, the lack of confidence in their political leaders, and generally their personal financial situation and purchasing  power that took a sharp dive in less than a year. So this pessimistic atmosphere has a very negative effect on the market and it is likely to continue in the near future.