• In the first interview granted business press, Ionuț Ilie, Managing Director of Bimbo Romania, presented the ambitious strategy for the development of the company Vel Pitar, leader on the local bakery market, after its takeover by Grupo Bimbo.
With a clear target of doubling the business in the next five years, the company intends to allocate significant investments and implement innovations that respond to the ever-changing needs of Romanian consumers.
Bimbo Group, one of the largest global players in the bakery industry, was attracted to the Romanian market due to the high consumption of bread, which exceeds the global average, as well as the dynamics of the local market and the stability of the business environment. These factors weighed in the group's decision to include Romania in its portfolio of 35 markets globally.
First changes implemented within Vel Pitar they included a gradual move towards a corporate governance system and the adjustment of values Bimbo Group, such as approaching employees as "associates" and not as mere human resources. Although the company encountered challenges in adapting the team to new management requirements, Ionuț Ilie reported positive results, exceeding shareholders' expectations, with significant double-digit growth in the first year.
Expansion of the product portfolio is one of the major priorities. Bimbo Romania currently owns 16 production facilities and over 200.000 tons of annual capacity, ensuring a wide national coverage. Future plans include developing new facilities and strengthening the brand portfolio, with a particular focus on expanding the segment of salty snacks, tortilla chips and other products from the global Bimbo portfolio.
Diversification of the product offer
Challenges identified of the new director include the decrease in consumption in the bakery segment, due to both demographic decline and changes in consumer preferences, which are looking for healthier alternatives. In this sense, Bimbo Romania is working on diversifying its offer with products made from special flours, but Ilie mentions that the challenge remains convincing consumers to accept higher costs for premium products.
With a current turnover of 230 million euros and a target of 250 million euros for 2024, Bimbo Romania is focused on growing its portfolio and strengthening its leadership position. The planned investments of 100 million euros over the next five years will support this development, mainly aiming at the re-engineering and adaptation of the factories to the standards of the Bimbo Group.
Ionut Ilia took over as CEO of Vel Pitar after a 25+ year career with Unilever where he headed various divisions including ice cream. The Bimbo Group completed the acquisition of Vel Pitar at the beginning of the year, thus integrating Romania into a global network that includes 34 countries and 214 production facilities. The acquisition of Vel Pitar is part of the Bimbo Group's expansion strategy in the EMEA region, with the aim of feeding a better world through quality food products.
Source of article and photo Ionuț Ilie: revistaprogresiv.ro
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor-in-Chief Arta Albă
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