Andrei Muntmark, CEO Monsson Trading: “We are focusing on conserving the business during the COVID-19 pandemic”

Established in 2009, Monsson Trading is part of Monsson Group and has obtained the trading license for Romania in April 2011, and in February 2012 for Hungary.

It has started supplying energy to final consumers from November 2011, growing its end-consumers portfolio each month. “We still see opportunities in the market where we can offer complete solutions to our customers,” says Andrei Muntmark, CEO Monsson Trading. “For now we are focusing on conserving the business during the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that during the second quarter the markets will start to stabilize and obviously we would like to see the state of emergency lifted once the threat is gone so that the economy can recover as soon as possible.” 

What is your company’s business approach in the current economic context?
While electricity consumption remains unclear, we are not predicting an increase in this year’s business compared to last year. Our focus during the pandemic is on conserving our existing customers, rather than seeking new clients. The electricity market is liquid but volatile, although we expect it to stabilize as soon as possible, since the electricity market is the foundation stone for any economy. The current COVID-19 prognosis leads us to expect that there will be a quick comeback in 1-2 months and the economy will be right on track as much as possible.

What are the market tendencies in 2020?

 Commodity prices have been going down as the whole world economy has been paused. That is particularly true for the electricity market as demand has been lowered. We expect to have a full recovery in electricity demand by the second half of the year; the demand for electricity is indicative of a healthy economy.

What does a company need to do to be successful in doing business in Romania?

Our key attribute has been our ability to provide a reliable service to our partners, always trying to offer them the best possible solutions in a constant changing environment. We have had much success over the past few years, finding ways to adapt to new situations and provide winning solutions for our clients. Another key has been the great team we have assembled and retained; management has made great efforts to offer our employees a good working environment.

How would you describe your business development on the local market?

The growth potential for Monsson Trading in Romania has been constant during all years; fortunately energy is always needed. We still see opportunities in the market where we can offer complete solutions to our customers. Working across several EU markets, however, there is always a trade-off when considering which markets offer better return compared to risk.

What are your short and medium-term plans in Romania?

For now we are focusing on conserving the business during the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that during the second quarter the markets will start to stabilize and obviously we would like to see the state of emergency lifted once the threat is gone so that the economy can recover as soon as possible.