An Anglo-Romanian company plans to lead a full-scale assault on the Eastern European country’s bakery market. Bucharest-based Snack Attack will open a 50,000sq ft state-of-the-art sandwich factory there by the end of 2007, which is set to increase production from 10,000 to 100,000 sandwiches a day in the next three years.
It has 11 sandwich shops in the rapidly developing country, with plans to open a further six this year and another 25-40 during the next two years. The company also supplies more than 200 customers around Bucha-rest with sandwiches, paninis, cakes and biscuits, including petrol stations and caterers, and has just signed a joint venture with Polish coffee chain, Coffee Heaven, to supply its first shops in Romania with sandwiches and snacks; the company plans to open 20 Coffee Heaven shops in the next four years.
Snack Attack was founded seven years ago by MD Florin Balu and non-executive director Ben Greig, who said: “We now supply 60 petrol stations with sandwiches, but this will increase to about 600 by the year end.”
As well as making its own bread for the sandwiches, Snack Attack produces craft breads and speciality loaves for sale in Romania’s retail stores. “About 75% of the bread we produce is for our own use but in future 75% of production will be sold to retail customers,” said Greig.
The company is now looking for a bakery partner to help develop a new standalone
bakery business. “We would like to find a UK firm that can bring equipment, experience and technical know-how,” added Greig.
He hopes to attract a fully automated bakery and in return will give a partner shares in the company. “We will buy bread from the company for our own use and will work together to sell products.”
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