Nolte sells €300,000 worth of luxury kitchens in six months

“This is an excellent market, which is registering a boom. Sales are meeting expectations, considering that we have been present on the market less than one year, and we have not engaged in aggressive marketing. We want to invest a lot in promotion, to increase our visibility. I am expecting excellent sales in February-March of next year,” according to a declaration for Business Standard by Nolte’s Director for Romania, Nayla Akouri.

With prices varying between €5,000-17,000, Nolte is targeting mostly business people and personalities.

One of the characteristics of the Romanian market is hinders the development of this market segment is the local habit of selling homes with preinstalled kitchen furniture, said the Nolte representative. The company recently collaborated with the developers of the Herestrau Park residential project, to provide kitchens for the apartments selling for over €500,000.

The Romanian furniture market is worth some €1 billion, of which a third is made up of imports. Major players on the market are local producers Mobexpert and Elvila, and the Italian Natuzzi company, which has a factory in Baia Mare. Sweden’s Ikea came onto the market in spring, and Austrian retailer Kika is planning to open its first store in 2008.