KoçZer Establishes Its First Company in Romania as Part of European Expansion Goals
Foreks - KoçZer, the corporate purchasing and supply chain management company under the Koç Group, has established a company in Romania as part of its growth strategy in Europe. The company, named KoçZer Romania SRL, will serve as the European hub, integrating KoçZer’s expertise in indirect purchasing across more than 130 categories in accordance with market dynamics.
During an event held in Bucharest to celebrate the establishment of the company, hosted by KoçZer General Manager Serhan Turfan, distinguished representatives from Turkish and Romanian business circles attended, including Turkey's Ambassador to Romania, Özgür Kıvanç Altan.
Ambassador Özgür Kıvanç Altan shared his thoughts on the matter: “The trade relations between Turkey and Romania strengthen every year. The presence of innovative and visionary companies like KoçZer in Romania will deepen these relations, create new opportunities, and strengthen economic ties.”
Serhan Turfan, speaking at the event, stated, “As KoçZer, we have been providing our commercial services abroad for a long time. We find the products that companies operating in Turkey want to source from anywhere in the world and facilitate collaborations they can develop. We manage the supply processes for demands coming from anywhere in the world through our network of 61,000 registered and reliable suppliers. Now, we are bringing our innovative solutions to a new region. This will create new collaborations and support businesses with digital and strategic supply solutions. This is one of the significant milestones in KoçZer’s history.”
Serhan Turfan emphasized that Romania is the most significant step in KoçZer’s international growth strategy, which maintains international commercial services through strategic business partners located in 15 countries. He noted, “Because Romania is not only a strategic market for us but also the first step in KoçZer's growth journey in Europe.”
Turfan highlighted that Romania, a member country of the European Union with over 18,000 registered Turkish companies and 10 million dollars in direct Turkish investment, is one of the primary markets for Turkish investors and entrepreneurs. He also mentioned that many companies from the Koç Group are already actively operating in the Romanian market. He shared that KoçZer Romania will be responsible for these operations.
Turfan stated that KoçZer Romania will start its activities with the supply of materials, including logistics, technical and industrial products, office supplies, raw materials, and scraps, for its existing clients. He said, “Supply will be very different in the next 5 years, and as KoçZer, we will continue to be among the pioneers of this change as always. We are committed to offering our customers innovative tools and strategies, such as our strategic purchasing solution Promena, which supports businesses in optimizing their operations. Our customers in Romania will also benefit from our technological products and services, primarily Promena.”
KoçZer aims to reach a sales volume of 100 million Euros within three years. Additionally, within the first three years, the company expects Romania to account for 50% of its overseas gross profit, with 6% of the total volume coming from Romanian operations.
Future expansions into new countries are planned. Serhan Turfan pointed out that KoçZer, which has proven its leadership with 61,000 suppliers and expertise in 140 different purchasing categories in Turkey, has expanded its model beyond national borders through its strong distributor network covering 15 countries. He stated, “On one hand, we will adapt our proven model in Turkey to the dynamics of the Romanian market; on the other hand, we will focus on our strategic goals of establishing new collaborations in neighboring countries and other EU markets. With the support of our distributors in countries like Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Switzerland, we believe we will achieve this pathway quickly. In the future, we aim to initiate new projects by signing partnerships with associations and industry centers in different countries such as Poland, Italy, and Dubai, and support our stakeholders in purchasing matters thanks to our network and expertise in Turkey.”
Turfan mentioned that 2023, the year of the 100th anniversary of the Republic, is also a new milestone for KoçZer. He stated, “In 21 years, KoçZer has created a supplier ecosystem in Turkey and established purchasing as a business field and expertise. In 2024, we will start with our new brand identity under the motto ‘Today, Tomorrow… KoçZer is by Your Side.’ Our company, managing a purchasing volume of 1.5 billion TL, generates 25% of its revenue from companies outside of the Koç Group listed in Fortune 500 Turkey. We have launched ZerGO, the first B2B marketplace designed for Turkey's workplace needs, while the acquisition of Digital Panorama has allowed us to expand our media and production purchasing consultancy services to include digital productions and creative agency services. We will continue our efforts to make our proven models that allow our customers to digitize, streamline, and simplify their logistics, supply, and purchasing processes competitive globally with a technology and service company approach. We hope that KoçZer Romania will be beneficial for all our group companies and clients.”