Sophia, the Romanian retailer specializing in personalized textile decorations, reached a cumulative turnover of 7 million euros in 2024, across its 30 stores (5 company-owned, 25 franchised) in Romania, Spain, and the USA. The company's primary objective is to expand to 100 franchises by the end of 2026, focusing mainly on diaspora communities.

„Our development plan is to expand our network to 100 franchises within the diaspora by the end of 2026, strengthening our international presence. This year, at the Sophia National Franchise Conference, we launched an innovative software configurator, the result of five years of development. This tool will save time and money while streamlining the process for both customers and our sales team," stated Anamaria Ștefan Georgescu, Founder of Sophia.

Sophia also has a presence in 15 Romanian counties – with Bucharest, Iași, and Cluj-Napoca as main drivers, cities with thriving real estate sectors – and has a successful franchise in Miami, USA, operating for over two years. The company plans to open a store in Mallorca, Spain, soon, recognizing the significant potential of the Romanian diaspora, estimated at over 6 million people.

„Franchises are a strategic pillar of our growth. We seek partners who share our values and vision. We provide franchisees with comprehensive support: training, marketing resources, production capabilities, new collections, inventory from our Iași warehouse, consulting, and access to our innovative technologies. Franchisees, in turn, focus on customer relations – in-home consultations, installations, and local promotion. We believe in the potential of Romanian entrepreneurs worldwide and products made in Romania,” said Andrei Osolinschi, Franchise Director at Sophia.

Strong local results

The network's strong performance is visible domestically as well. A Cluj-Napoca entrepreneur, who owns two Sophia franchises (in Cluj and Baia Mare), generated a turnover of 600,000 euros and a profit of 100,000 euros in 2024.

"We benefit from the support of a strong national brand, its know-how, and solid reputation, which help us attract and retain customers. With the launch of the software configurator, I believe Sophia is poised for even faster expansion into new markets," said Simona Zubașcu, the entrepreneur with two Sophia franchises.

Launching the software configurator and strengthening partner support

Sophia marked a new chapter of growth at its National Franchise Conference, held at the Romanian Records Museum and the Sheraton Hotel in Bucharest. The event gathered leaders from diverse fields – entrepreneurs, franchise specialists, and representatives from the HoReCa sector, all of them supporting Sophia's business model. Notable attendees included

• Marius Bostan, entrepreneur and founder of Repatriot, highlighted the potential of the Sophia brand for enterprising Romanians in the diaspora;
• Raluca Voicu, co-founder of Franchwise Romania, highlighted the growing popularity of the franchise as a business model;
• Felix Pătrășcanu (Fan Courier), Radu Savopol (5 to go), Andu Mărginean (Arthitek), Mara Gojgar (Confident Agency), Dora Morhan (Hotel Pleiada Iași), Cristina Huzum (Sheraton), who shared experiences and development ideas for the network’s partners.

The company currently has 95 employees, 60 of whom work in the production workshops in Iași, where custom-made products are made - curtains, drapes, pillowcases, blankets and linens. The main customers come from both the residential sector and HoReCa, museums, and castles in the country and abroad. Sophia offers complete solutions, from design and production to installation and maintenance.

About Sophia

Sophia specializes in custom curtains and drapes, from the medium and premium range, pillowcases, blankets, throws, linens, fastening systems (rails and galleries), and custom upholstered furniture. The company has 3 production centers, with expertise in customizing textile decorations. Currently, Sophia has reached a network of 30 stores nationwide, plus franchises in Romania, the USA (Miami). Currently, the company's portfolio includes over 50,000 homes, 15 museums and dozens of hotels. Sophia's reference clients include: Hotel Opera (Mamaia), Hotel Marriott, Ibis, Golden Tulip, Hotel Pleiada, "Vasile Alecsandri" National Theater in Iași, the Unirii Museum in Iași, etc.

*This is a Press release.