SKODA AUTO Slovensko, s.r.o. (Ltd.) has been one among more than thirty car importers on the Slovak market. We talked about the activities of this company in the said economic space with Franek Farsky, the head of the company's PR department

What, in your opinion, has changed in the trade business by the independent Slovak market coming into existence?

There have been no substantial changes in this respect, because of the Customs Union which, in my opinion both parties benefit from.

Was your company able to utilize knowledge of the Slovak market and customers from the times of the common State in doing business after the split?

I guess that the philosophy we apply with respect to the Slovak market has remained basically the same as it was with respect to the Czech market, and there was no need to change it even after the split. To be good, the philosophy must generally be tailored to the competition on the market where it tries to thrive.

Can we speak about advantages or disadvantages of a Czech company doing business in Slovakia's market as compared to companies from other countries?

In my opinion, Slovakia's and Czechia's markets are maximally liberalized. This is evidenced by the existence of more than 30 car importers who do business in this space. Customers on both markets very quickly adapted to the new philosophy, so that what counts is quality and image of the product rather that its origin.

What has been the share of your company on Slovakia's market in recent three years?

In 1996, our share represented 28.75%, growing to 41.61% a year later. For the first eight months of this year, we were able to take about 41% of the market.

Our company is the authorized importer of the cars Skoda and Seat. In addition to these activities, we also identify subcontractors and organize purchases for SKODA AUTO, a.s. Mlada Boleslav. These activities are taken care of by our staff of 60, split into two divisions: Skoda and Seat.

What makes your company competitive in Slovakia?

as to customers in the Czech Republic, care for the setting up and development of a network of subcontractors. Moreover, a dense and good quality retail network comprising 74 representations, competitive cars Skoda, good quality business representations on both the importer and the commercial base. And last but not least, continuous increase of the product quality.

Slovak Trade FORUM