“Tjeerd Jegen has left the company for a new challenge, and will continue his career outside Metro Group,” company representatives said in a press release.
During his term, Real opened 13 new hypermarkets in Romania, expanding its network to 21 units, and launched a marketing campaign to boost sales, gain market share, and strengthen Real Hypermarket’s position on the Romanian retail market.
Real Romania registered a single-digit organic growth rate of sales in this year’s first quarter, which picked up as of the second quarter, according to company officials. In order to boost sales and increase profit margins, the company is expanding its own branded products, by launching Real Quality, a segment which includes both foodstuffs – pasta, rice, sweets, beverages, cold meats – and non-food products – detergents or cosmetics.
Real hypermarkets posted €638 million in net sales in 2008, up 74 percent year-on-year, due to expansion and organic growth.
