Coning" starts development of 6m EUR worth of retail-service center on the Novi Sad road – big plans for future

(the looks of future center in Belgrade)

Belgrade-based company "Coning", one of the major importers of tires on the territory of Serbia, will start development of about 6m EUR worth of retail-service center on the Novi Sad Road, in the vicinity of the administrative building of “Galenika” at the end of October. According to the project, the facility at total of 5,200 square meters will consist of two parts and its development should be finished in spring 2009.

According to the words of the CEO of "Coning", Jovan Pupovac, the lower level will be at about 3,000 square meters and, once the construction is finished, that is where automobile inspection, diagnostics and servicing will be carried out. It will also include a car wash unit for freight and passenger vehicles, tire repairing service, café bar, restaurant, reception hall and offices. According to the project of architect Goran Vojvodić, the upper part of the facility, at 2,200 square meters, will be a storage space 15 meters high.

- We have already signed the contract with company "Gemax" and we expect to get the building permit within next ten to fifteen days and, as soon as we have received it, realization of the project will commence. This business-service center will be modern and recognizable, just like our other center in Novi Sad, which won the title of the best architectural work in 2004. The materials we used in construction of the facility in Novi Sad were used for the first time in Serbia. Since we already got used to high-quality development, we are going to keep it that way – Pupovac points out and adds that "Coning" plans to open new centers on another ten locations in Serbia within next five years.

(Service retail center in Novi Sad)

According to the words of Pupovac, "Coning" will open another 3 retail-service centers in Belgrade within next 5 years, as well as one in Novi Sad, Šabac, Kraljevo, Valjevo, Čačak and Kruševac. According to some calculations, development of each of them will cost about 500,000 EUR. “Coning” also plans to help the existing network of dealers in association with German “Continental, one of the major manufacturers of pneumatics.

- Negotiations with "Continental" are underway. We intend to help the dealers by providing them the equipment and machines and we will also try to help them improve the sales – Pupovac explains and adds that the development of a facility outside Serbia is not in the pipeline because the network of dealers (Automobile Center "Vujačić" in Montenegro, "Dion" Prnjavor and "Dion&Tehnix" Banja Luka in RS and "Euroguma" Priština and "Bibaj" Uroševac in Kosovo) operates very well.

By the way, "Coning" was founded in 1993 as a company for planning, engineering and works in field of civil engineering. One year later, this Belgrade-based company started to import tires, and it signed the contract with "Barum" in 1995 and with "Continental" in 1997. The tire brands that "Coning" imports and sells now are "Continental", "Uniroyal", "Barum", "Semperit", "Mitas", "General". Its offer includes tires for various purposes – for passenger automobiles, freight vehicles, light delivery vehicles, dumper tires, tires for forklifts, agricultural tires, etc. The product portfolio includes wide variety of all types of wedge-shaped belts "Ruben" and "Optibelt", of which authorized importer is "Coning".

The company has been constantly increasing incomes since 1993 and, according to the words of Jovan Pupovac, they will reach 20m EUR at the end of this year, which is about 20% more than in 2007 (16m EUR).

The headquarters of the company is in the very center of Belgrade, as well as two retail facilities, warehouse and tire repairing service with the up-to-date equipment for installation and balancing of all types of tires. Four years ago, "Coning" opened a service-retail center in Novi Sad with storage space at 750 square meters and service-retail space at about 900 square meters. This center is one of the most modern and best equipped service centers on the territory of Serbia.