12/23/2008 08h46
Telhanorte to invest US$ 47.8 million in 2009
Valor Econômico - 12/23/2008
Telhanorte, construction material retailer owned by the French Saint Gobain group, will invest R$ 110 million (US$ 47.8 million) in the opening of eight new units with its own funds next year. With these openings, the number of stores will leap from the current 36 units to 44 points of sale in 2009. "We have not changed our investment plan with the crisis. This year, we opened eight stores and next year there will be eight units as well", says Fernando de Castro, general director of Telhanorte, which bought the Center Líder network in 2008. According to the executive, Telhanorte will end 2008 with a growth in income of nearly 25% compared to 2007. He does not disclose the income value. "In contrast to the market, in which the sales grew below the expected, Telhanorte did not have a fall in sales these last months", says Castro who from January on will be the corporate director of strategy and development of the Saint Gobain group. Last July, Telhanorte officially announced the purchase of Center Líder and that turned it into the largest construction retailer in number of stores. Telhanorte acquired the name and eight of the ten stores of Center Líder, founded ten years ago and that was in the sixth position in the ranking of Anamaco (National Association of the Sellers of Construction Materials). The Center Líder Tatuapé and Santo André stores (SP) continue in the hands of the former owners, Antonio Montrazi and Takyoshi Teruya. They will have the right to use the name, which now belongs to the Saint Gobain group, for 12 months.
