Building materials wholesaler PSB seeks 18% of market

Building materials wholesaler Polskie Sklady Budowlane (PSB) announced plans to expand its market share from its current 13%-14% to 18%-19% later this year. After 30 months in operation, the group is market leader, leaving behind such well-known firms as Obi and Praktiker. PSB consists of 189 companies with nearly 400 wholesale outlets with a total of 420,000 square meters, employing 4000 workers. The group plans to reach as much as zl.3 billion in revenue this year. Such ambitious plans are realistic given the group's rapid growth thus far. It started in 1998 with 49 companies and revenue of zl.570 million, reaching 139 companies and zl.1.2 billion in 1999, and ending with 189 and zl.2.15 billion this year. According to Miroslaw Lubarski from PSB only large groups have any chance to survive in this market longer than a few years. (Puls Biznesu, pp.1,4) M.K