Romanian retailer Altex quits eMag marketplace invoking excessive fees

Romanian electronics and IT retailer Altex, founded by businessman Dan Ostahie, has decided to withdraw from the marketplace platform developed by local online retailer eMag.

The fees charged by eMag have increased too much, Altex representatives explained.

“We made the decision to leave the eMag marketplace platform because, at this time, the increase in fees makes it impossible for us to comply with the lowest price promise in Romania, a promise that all Altex employees constantly contribute to by striving to optimize costs through excellence in operations and through smart investments in projects that increase efficiency," stated Florin David, E-commerce Director Altex Romania.

Altex increased its turnover by 8% last year, compared to 2017, to over RON 3.5 billion (EUR 780 mln), while the profit jumped by 30% to RON 63.5 mln (EUR 14 mln). 2018 was the best year for the company, which has a history of over 25 years on the Romanian market.

In its turn, eMag posted RON 3.17 bln (EUR 700 mln) turnover last year not including the marketplace (or EUR 1 bln including it).

(Photo courtesy of the company)