PRODUCERS: Growth rate stabilization for the local materials manufacturing

The local production of construction materials increased by 2.7% in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2012, after it suffered a contraction of 5.4% in June, in rapport with the same period of last year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Thus, a stabilization of the output growth rate of production is recorded, after increases of up to 10% in the previous reporting periods. The construction materials production index reported in June showed an increase of 3.3% in comparison with May 2013. Since the volume of construction works reported for the first six months of the year decreased by 6.8% compared to the first half of 2012, the slight increase in production can be attributed to exports. According to the latest data available published by INS, "in May 2013, the export of construction products increased by 1% from the level recorded in May 2012. Compared to the first five months of last year, the exports increased by 5.7%, if we take into consideration the prices expressed in EUR, while imports fell by 1.9%."In terms of value, the exports of construction materials during the period January to May 2013, reached nearly 130.4 million EUR, of which foreign supplies of lime and plaster stood at 19.8 million EUR, and the ceramic products totalled 51.6 million EUR. Even if the imports fall on a declining trend compared to the first five months of 2012, these still maintained at a double value in rapport with that of the exports, going beyond 286.6 million EUR during the reference period (cement / lime / gypsum with a value of 47.4 million EUR and ceramics of 78.9 million EUR). *** The British group Kingfisher has paid 35 million GBP (41.5 million EUR) for the 15 stores acquired from Bricostore Romania, to which adds the assumption of debt of 35 million GBP, according to the latest financial report published by the company. Furthermore, the company also took over the availability of 7 million GBP (8.3 million EUR) in the transaction; the total amount paid reaching, thus, about 62 million GBP (around 74 million EUR). Kingfisher has decided to enter directly on the domestic market in April 2013 through the acquisition of Bricostore.