We paid over 40 million euros into the budget in 2022, in the form of excise duties on tobacco products,” says CEO Prokopije Perić, noting that this amount will exceed 43 million euros for this year, which is far more than any other company that deals with the importing of cigarettes to Montenegro.
In which categories are you present and what are all the items that comprise your portfolio? We know it’s difficult to list simply because our company is expanding constantly…
― Having learned from previous experiences, we tried to diversify our operations into as many categories as possible, in order for the company’s stability to be beyond question, regardless of the various turmoil on the market.
Cigarettes certainly represent the key category of our business. Japan Tobacco International’s Sobranie and Winston brands dominate the premium and mid-price category of cigarettes, while Una Slims – as a brand that we developed ourselves and marketed on the Montenegrin market – is the absolute leader in the budget category. Our brands’ total market share exceeds 45%.
Our stability is strengthened greatly by products from the category of cosmetics, hair care and body care from the range of company L’Oréal, with the brands L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline New York, Garnier and Mixa. The trust they placed in us was returned with a market leadership position in every category in which they are present. We cover the hygiene category with Essity produced brands Libresse and Zewa, and we are also among the key players in Montenegro in that segment.
Investing constantly in the development of our employees is one of our priorities, and in future we’ll allocate ever more resources to this
We devote a lot of attention to the food and beverage segment. Alongside Hausbrandt coffee, for which we are the exclusive importer for Montenegro, our portfolio includes numerous other brands, and since June 2022 we’ve been the exclusive importer of Banja Luka Brewery and its Nektar brand.
It is vital in your line of business to ensure a fast and high-quality service, and that you are able to constantly adapt to new trends. Judging by the results, PLUS appears to be ahead of the times?
― Despite us investing a lot in the digitalisation of the business and software, which enables faster and more efficient operations, our employees are the ones who make the biggest difference between us and our competitors. If you have sufficient funds, it is today easy to build the best logistics facilities and buy the latest vehicles, but having a sufficient number of motivated and professional people, who form the core of the company, is more important than all of that. Investing constantly in the development of our employees is one of our priorities, and in future we’ll allocate ever more resources to this. I’m particularly proud of the earnestness and dedication of all our employees, which is why I’m certain that we’ll remain far ahead of everyone for a long time to come.
You always have huge plans, and one of them is to maintain your leadership position and increase your market share. Does space exist for you to expand to other markets, to the rest of the region?
― That’s certainly a topic that’s always relevant, but we are also very cautious when it comes to venturing onto other markets. The results we’ve achieved on the Montenegrin market with our Una Slims brand are truly impressive, so it is to be expected that we will move to expand further in the region. We currently have agreements with partners in Serbia and Albania to launch sales on those markets, and for now that’s what we’re focused on.
