Belgian retailer Mega Image estimates that it will open another 40 stores by the end of the year, thus reaching 480 units.

It will open a unit near the Ikea store in the Baneasa area, northern Bucharest, said Adrian Nicolaescu, head of marketing, reports local Mediafax. In the last two months of 2014, Mega Image opened about 50 stores.

The group’s sales could reach EUR 700 million this year, up 27% compared to 2014, said Nicolaescu. Mega Image currently has a market share of 28% in the Brasov-Bucharest-Constanta area, and of 5% in the country, according to the retailer's representative.

The company also wants to introduce contactless cards in all its stores by the end of the year. At the end of September, a quarter of all transactions by card became contactless. By comparison, only 2.7% of the card transactions were contactless in May 2015.

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