Romanian supermarket chain Profi wants to open 200 stores next year

Romanian supermarket chain Profi has reached a network of 500 stores in Romania, and plans to continue expansion by opening 200 new units next year. This means that the company will hire dozens of store managers in 2017. Daniel Cristea, general director of Profi Rom Food, doesn’t think that this will be a problem for the retailer, as Profi has a good system in place to train future managers, “with many examples of people who have advanced from modest positions to the position of store manager,” reports local Mediafax. Cristea also sees potential for opening new supermarkets without affecting the small local shops. Profi is the supermarket chain with the widest footprint in Romania, as it has stores in 255 towns and villages. The company has opened 134 units this year, under the Profi, Profi City, and Profi Loco brands. Profi Loco is a format dedicated to rural areas. On November 23, Polish private equity firm Enterprise Investors announced the sale of Profi Rom Food to Mid Europa Partners for EUR 533 million. editor@romania-insider.com