Biggest online retailer in Romania starts selling masks with no retail margin to meet COVID-19 demand

Romania’s biggest online retailer eMAG gas started selling protection masks and says that it has over 7 million masks in stock to address the demand from customers. The retailer claims that it charges no retail margin for the masks and the price for a box containing 50 items is RON 146.83 (EUR 30.2), resulting in a price per piece of under RON 3.

Each client can order only one such package as the demand is high and the company wants to prevent speculative acquisitions (big orders later to be sold at higher prices). The retailer also said that it will update the price every week based on the acquisition prices of masks.

“Starting today, the set of simple three-fold masks is available at eMAG and can be delivered quickly, in any locality. We want every Romanian to have access to basic protection measures, so we have decided to sell this product without profit. Without being specialized in this category of products, we have learned and adapted, on the go, so that we can meet a need that people have these days and that is aimed at public health,” said eMAG CEO Iulian Stanciu.

The first shipment of masks for sale arrived in Romania on Wednesday with a Boeing 787 aircraft and the next shipment will be available on sale starting Sunday.

The company has delivered masks to the first-line personnel who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic before starting to sell to retail clients.

Local companies eMAG, Banca Transilvania, Mobexpert and Bitdefender have launched the program “Doneaza pentru linia intai” (Donate for the first line) aimed at helping the first-line personnel in Romania (doctors, law enforcement). With donations from the four companies (RON 1 mln each) and from other firms and individuals (RON 350,000 by April 8), 4.15 million masks have been bought from China and brought to the country with a cargo plane. Another shipment with 300,000 FFP2 respiratory masks for doctors was expected to land in Romania on Thursday (April 9).

(Photo source: prin screen from emag.ro website)