Representatives of producer Kraft Foods Romania, which recently announced the closure of its only chocolate factory in Romania, based in the central city of Brasov, said the decision to relocate was due to a lack of space and not by the financial crisis, as the market is still growing. Kraft Foods Romania General Manager, Lachlan Grave, said the company’s sound development in recent years required larger production capacities, and that the Brasov factory could not be expanded. “The transfer of production will not affect our commitment to maintain the business development in Romania,” Grave added.
Other significant players say the decision was made to increase business efficiency and not as an immediate consequence of the crisis. This year, “chocolate consumption will not decline, especially with the winter [holidays] season coming. We can only talk of an economic crisis impact in 2009. Only then will we know the required measures, depending on how severe the crisis is,” according to the Marketing Manager of Supreme Chocolat producer, Cristian Stanciu.
The local chocolate market was worth €200 million in 2007, with Cadbury, Kraft Foods Romania, Supreme Chocolat, and Heidi Chocolats Suisse as main producers.
