Retail market begins to look attractive to Fortis Bank

"We are thinking about new markets," said Waldemar Leszczyński, spokesman of the bank. The institution will open six new outlets and three business centers in 2006 and employment will increase by 300 people, which is almost 30%. The bank plans to spend zł.100 million on investments, which will consume the whole of last year's profit. Puls Biznesu also learnt that it will be among the institutions looking into the possibility of acquiring 200 outlets from BPH, which would substantially accelerate the creation of its network. Fortis Bank has become interested in the retail market due to the global strategy of the group and mortgage loans. It introduced an updated offer in this regard in October 2005 and over the last quarter of last year sold loans worth zł.618 million. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 8) M.M.