Calin Gratian resigned from the leadership of CFR Marfa


CFR Marfa managing director, Calin Gratian, resigned from office, as on August 1 he was appointed manager for development and strategy at the Romanian branch of the Austrian operator Rail Cargo, Mediafax informs. The deputy managing director of CFR Marfa, Mihai Frasinoi, provides the interim management of the company. “Until Transport Minister appoints a new managing director at CFR Marfa, Frasinoi secures the interim management of the company as of August 1,” sources from the railway market said on Friday. Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Radu Berceanu, appointed Gratian managing director of CFR Marfa in March. Previously, Gratian provided interim management of the company following Berceanu having dismissed, at the end of last year, the former head of the good transport carrier, Liviu Bobar.


BCR reduced deposit interests


Banca Comerciala Romana reduced, as of last Friday, the interests charged to saving products, both for individuals and for companies, based on a company press release, Agerpres informs. Thus, in case of RON deposits for individuals, the decrease is reaching 1.4 per cent, and in case of foreign currency down by 0.5 per cent, depending on the amount and time period. In case of EUR savings, the maximum interest is 3.50 per cent, for installments over EUR 10,000 maturing in 12 months. Starting August 1, BCR has two promotional offers over a limited period of time: for six month RON deposits, bearing a fix interest, the discounted interest is 10 per cent per year, regardless the installment, and for EUR six month deposits, bearing a fix interest, the discounted interest is 3.50 per cent per year, regardless the installments. It is also as of July 31 that the discounted interests at RON standard deposits for legal entities were adjusted in a range from 2 to 2.2 per cent, and in case of EUR standard deposits, the range was between 0.25 per cent and 0.50 per cent.


Competition Council pampers hypermarkets


Competition Council (CC) delays the investigation in hypermarkets to analyze the foodstuff trading, according to newspaper ‘Ziua’. Following Declaration 88 of the European Parliament which asked for measures to prevent the establishment of a monopoly of hypermarkets in relation to clients and suppliers, CC in Romania initiated, in its turn, its own investigation in the retail sector. Yet, the issue seems to be buried. CC investigation started in 2008 and it was scheduled to complete in 2009, but it extends at least until the fourth quarter of 2009. Thus, the suspicions of employers and unions in the agri-food industry are fed, based on the hypothesis that political pressures are put on officials not to upset hypermarkets and not to adopt the ‘Good Practice Code.’ The code is an agreement between suppliers and hypermarkets which had to become law and it reduces he market dominant position of hypermarkets, particularly by phasing out taxes and contract conditions by which they were ruining suppliers, such as the charge for opening a new store, the charge for packages for promotions, pre-paid discounts.


Hot weather announces record grape harvests


The warm weather of this summer resulted in grapes ripping by almost one month earlier, and the absence of precipitation made grapes sweet and nicely scented, so that producers estimate a record wine quantity, according to ‘Evenimentul Zilei.’ In addition, according to vineyard owners, the production of 2009 shall have a high quality. Recas wine producers expect a total grape production of 6,000 tones, and up to 5 million tones of wine. “This heat, 31–32 degree during day and 18–19 degrees during night has set excellent conditions for vineyard ripping and grapes could accumulate sugar, flavours and colored substances, in case of red wine assortments. We expect an average harvest of 10 tones per hectare, a peak production that we reached in the last five year period,” said Gheorghe Iova, managing director of DSC Cramele Recas prod.