Romania’s largest online retailer eMAG has started selling products on the auto segment, and added 8,000 such products on its offer, the company announced.

The new category is available both directly from eMAG’s own stock as well as on the eMAG’s Marketplace platform, for which the company has contracts with 23 suppliers.

The auto products are grouped under six main segments: tires and rims, auto maintenance and cosmetics, electric equipment, exterior and interior auto accessories, auto repair and troubleshooting and professional equipment.

“90 percent of the offer in the auto category is focused on medium and high quality products. These are products  of similar quality to the originals the cars are equipped with, and well known on the market,” said Violeta Luca, eMAG’s vice president and executive director.

Some products in the new category already sell for significant discounts, of up to 30 percent, for auto electronics.

This move from eMAG comes as online sales of auto components are growing both in Romania and in Europe. “The auto segment will be a strategic one for eMAG, especially since sales of vignettes and RCA insurance policies had good results which encourage us to continue investments on this segment,” Violeta Luca added.

eMAG posted revenues of EUR 187 million last year, and hopes to achieve a 40 percent turnover growth this year, to at least EUR 262 million. The retailer is active in Bulgaria and Hungary as well. It is controlled by South-African investment fund Naspers, which took over the controlling stake in October 2012.

Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com