The Romanian coffee shop chain '5 to go' is set to launch operations on the market of the Republic of Moldova by inaugurating the first unit on October 8, Mold-street.com announced, quoting the company's co-founder, who mentioned bureaucratic barriers higher than in Bulgaria or Hungary.

The business is developed in Moldova in partnership with two small pie shop chains, and the plan is to open 50 units in the Republic of Moldova in the next 2-3 years, said Radu Savopol, co-founder of the '5 to go' business.

The businessman said that the expansion process in Moldova was initiated at the beginning of this year, and he expected that the process would be much easier than in other markets such as Hungary or Bulgaria. But the operations faced various bureaucratic barriers when importing certain products, including private labels, he said.

"The Republic of Moldova should have been the country where it is easiest for us as Romanians or you as Moldovans to do business in Romania, and I don't understand why it is not like that," said Radu Savopol.

'5 to go' announced in April that it continues to develop its local and international presence at an accelerated pace, preparing two more outlets in Budapest and the entry into the Bulgarian market.

By December 2024, it is planned to open around 120 new '5 to go' coffee shops, as well as to strengthen its presence in foreign markets, where business expansion will be subject to a rigorous analysis of previous results and the specifics of each country.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the company)