Ambiance Fran;aise is
a new outlet in one of the
holiday resorts. With lots of
Heineken signage.
Mr and Mrs Stefanescu.
owners of the Doina
restaurant, pictured with
Dan Vlasceanu (centre).
BOULEVARD
Important customers for Heinro in the holiday areas are the
Mimosa Bar and also the Ambiance Frangaise, which was
opened at the start of this season. The two outlets are situ
ated about a stone's throw from each other on a sort of
boulevard between two big hotels. The Ambiance Franchise
is an outlet which is expected to attract mainly the young
well-to-do. The waiter service is dominated by the
Heineken logo: the waitresses wear a Heineken T-shirt and
a Heineken baseball cap. As Dan Vlasceanu explains, the
outfit forms part of an agreement which Heinro made with
the owners of the outlet.
Sales of Heineken Beer in the Black Sea coastal resorts
are important but are only relevant for two months of the
year. For the remainder of the year Heinro relies on
Constanta, the Black Sea port in the east of the country. As
regards size, Constanta is the second biggest seaport in
Europe, after Rotterdam. It is therefore an important city
for Heinro. Not only in terms of sales, but also as it is the
seaport via which Heineken Beer is shipped in from
Holland. Previously all Heineken Beer was transported by
truck from Holland. As part of the drive to achieve improv
ed efficiencies within Heineken, it has been decided to shift
the emphasis of Romania-bound beer transport to seagoing
traffic.
The distributor for Constanta and the surrounding area
(including the Black Sea resorts) is the firm of Han Sai,
which is owned by Sandu Popescu. Since 1991, the year in
which he founded his business, he has built up a diverse
range of products, the most important ones being choco
late, dairy products and beer. He started out with a very
tiny warehouse in 1991 and has been achieving annual
growth rates of fifty per cent ever since. Right from the
beginning Sandu Popescu concentrated on luxury products.
He knew Heineken Beer from the time when he still sailed
the seven seas working as an electrical engineer in the ship
ping industry.
Sandu Popescu (left) is the
owner of Han Sai, the distributor
in Constanta. Next to him is
Commercial Manager Ion Lazia.
