De’Longhi maintains growth momentum despite market decline

Romania’s coffee machine market is becoming more sophisticated, with people spending more on their home coffee makers, said Massimo Paronitti, General Manager at De’Longhi Romania & Hungary, in an interview for Business Review.

By Anda Sebesi

What were the main developments on the Romanian coffee machines market last year?

2022 was a particularly challenging year for our industry—not just locally, but throughout Europe. The war in Ukraine led to increases in raw material and energy costs, which were accompanied by high inflation, rising borrowing costs and, once again, difficulties with logistics chains and stocks. However, the market remained relatively stable, with a small (3 percent) decrease in volume, but an 8 percent increase in value, meaning Romanians are spending more on their home coffee machines. That’s not to say that price is not important. The market is getting more sophisticated, as people are paying more attention to value for money, quality, functionality, and design—meaning overall reliability. This trend is highly beneficial for De’Longhi, as our espresso machines enjoy an excellent reputation.

What were De’Longhi’s results in Romania in 2022?

Overall, the Romanian Commercial Division maintained its upward trend in 2022, with the best results since its establishment: +9 percent compared to 2021. As for the coffee segment, we confirmed our leadership position with a 33 percent market share by value. We had a record high share on the manual espresso machines with built-in grinders segment, which are on the rise on the market: we own 58 percent of this particular segment in terms of value.

How is the Romanian market positioned in the wider group?

In terms of production and investment value, Romania is the main country within the Group following the opening and development of our two plants in Jucu and Madaras. We are aiming to become one of the main markets from a