Battle for top position not over, brands showing resilience overall in a challenging environment

• Switch of places at the top, with Dacia regaining the top spot over eMAG, reflecting opposite evolutions on automotive and retail markets
• Real estate brand One United Property enters the ranking on 24^th place with a value of €49 million
• Brick-and-mortar retail continues its post-pandemic recovery
• Banca Transilvania remains the strongest Romanian brand, rated AAA+
• Over 60% of brands and brand value in the top 50 ranking come from brands created by the private sector over the past 30 years

Dacia (brand value up 30% to €1,062 million) has recovered last year’s drop and overtaken eMAG (brand value down 15% to €877 million) to again become the most valuable Romanian brand according to a new analysis by Brand Finance, the leading brand valuation consultancy.

Every year, leading brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance puts thousands of the world’s biggest brands to the test, and publishes over 100 reports, ranking brands across all sectors and countries. The top 50 most valuable and strongest Romanian brands are included in the annual Brand Finance Romania 50 ranking.

The change at the top, between Dacia and eMAG, reflects the two respective industries’ opposite pre- and post-pandemic evolution: the automotive market has recovered as people started to move again, while the online shopping slowed down, despite a switch of consumers’ buying patterns towards online. Dacia’s recovery is even more interesting when compared to the evolution of the parent company’s brand (Renault) which has been losing brand value constantly over the past 5 years.

Mihai Bogdan, Managing Director, Brand Finance Romania, commented:

„The recent changes in the top brands ranking – illustrated also by the intense competition for the top position – show that traditional brands are losing ground to new, digital, brands. More than 60% of the brands in the ranking were created in the last few decades, and some of them even created in new industries, like eMAG did with online retail.”

Brick-and-mortar retail continues its post-pandemic recovery

Dedeman remains the most valuable brand held entirely by Romanian shareholders, defending the 3^rd position in the ranking (brand value up 5% to €530 million), with the preponderantly brick-and-mortar retail sector continuing its post-pandemic recovery. Thus, Altex brand value is up 13% to €139 million, and Mobexpert is up 17% to €22 million; the same trend is visible in the pharma retail, with Farmacia Tei going up 24% to €30 million, and Help Net up 14% to €27 million.

Banca Transilvania remains the strongest Romanian brand, rated AAA+

In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Compliant with ISO 20671, Brand Finance’s assessment of stakeholder equity incorporates original market research data from over 150,000 respondents in more than 38 countries and across over 30 sectors. By this measure, Banca Transilvania is the strongest Romanian brand, achieving an elite AAA+ brand ranking – with brand value going up 25% to €494 million, up one place to the 4^th position). The banking brand is, for the second year in a row, ranking amongst the top ten strongest banks globally.

Overall, the combined value of Romania’s top 50 brands is up 13% from previous year, to over €6.6. billion, above the whole Romanian economy’s rebound of 4.7% in 2022.

Although the Romanian economy has not had significant connections with Russia and Ukraine, the war shockwaves caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is expected to continue for the near future, may still cause unpredictable disruptions.

Over 60% of brands and brand value in the top 50 ranking come from brands created by the private sector over the past 30 years

New brands – created and developed by entrepreneurs and private companies over the past 30 years – account for over 60% of the Brand Finance Romania 50 2022 – both in number of brands and in brand value.

The high value ranking list has recorded a low churn rate over the years, with only a couple of brands moving in and out of top 50 every year. Thus, two brands from last year’s ranking didn’t make the cut for this year’s: the respectable water brand Borsec, and the pharma retail brand Sensiblu – which was discontinued by the new owners of the business in favour of their international brand.

The new entrants are the local rising real estate brand One United Properties, which makes a remarkable entry in 24^th place with a brand value of €49 million, and the industrial brand ALRO (brand value €40 million, in 29^th place).

Mihai Bogdan, Managing Director, Brand Finance Romania, commented:

“Globalisation brings about greater exposure, even for businesses that do not stray outside their home country – hence no shortage of challenges and trials for the local brands nowadays. However, it is this combination and alternance of opportunities and threats that stimulate brands to continuously evolve and build upon their equity”.

In addition to analysing individual brands, the Brand Finance Romania 50 report also ranks the 10 most valuable brand portfolios, calculated for those businesses that deploy more than one brand into the market. These portfolios encompass over 40 well-known local brands, the most valuable of which are also featured individually in the main top 50 ranking. The top 10 portfolios list has been stable since 2017, with smaller contenders not growing fast enough to overtake the incumbents.