The Romanian retailer Annabella, controlled by the Mutu family of entrepreneurs, began to put its logo on the Profi stores taken over, among the first identified by ZF are those on Buzeşti Street and Şoseaua Ştefan cel Mare in the Capital. The retailer thus re-enters the Bucharest market, after a break of several years. For the Romanian business, this is the second attempt to enter Bucharest. In 2016, Dan and Dorina Mutu, some of the most powerful entrepreneurs in Vâlcea county, took over three of the Mega Image stores in the capital. The retailer controlled by Ahold Delhaize was selling the units at that time as a result of the commitments assumed in the process of taking over the Angst store network. For Annabella, this move means entering the Bucharest market. In the meantime, however, the shops were closed. Now, Annabella makes a new bet, and not only on Bucharest. The Romanian retailer recently bought 87 supermarkets and convenience stores under the Mega Image and Profi brands from the Dutch-Belgian Ahold Delhaize. The transaction took place in the context in which the international group had undertaken to sell these stores in order to receive the approval of the Competition Council for the takeover of Profi. Before this hill, the Annabella company was active in Vâlcea, Argeş, Olt and Dâmboviţa. Now, after this transaction, the network reaches 17 covered counties. Market players say that dispersing these units purchased from Ahold Delhaize will stretch the company's logistical effort to the maximum. In fact, some regional actors have shown interest in taking over supermarkets that are relatively geographically isolated, logistically expensive for Annabella. It remains to be seen what decision the business developed by the Mutu family of local entrepreneurs will make. ZF recently made a map of these taken over stores, based on data from the Competition Council. She reveals that, by far, the most retail spaces are in Bucharest (21) and Ilfov (24). In fact, most likely, this was also the most interesting area for Annabella, who thus re-enters the market in the Capital and its surroundings, the strongest retail market in terms of sales and purchasing power. It is also the most competitive.
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