Moldovan Landscaping Business Alex Garden Expands into Romania with Support from EBRD and CEI

(IN BRIEF) Alex Garden is a garden center and landscaping business based in Chișinău, Moldova, founded by young entrepreneur Alexandru Ciobanu. With support from the Central European Initiative and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the company received assistance to become more agile and efficient, allowing it to expand operations and open a second site in Romania. The Covid-19 pandemic impacted the company’s operations, but with support from the EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses team in Moldova, the company was able to develop an “anti-crisis” plan that enabled it to adapt to new economic realities quickly. The company has now doubled its turnover and volume of business and is continuing to expand its landscape design department and enter the Romanian market.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 20-Apr-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a multilateral developmental investment bank, is proud to have played a role in the success story of Alex Garden, a garden centre and landscaping business based in Chișinău, Moldova.

Thanks to funding from the Central European Initiative (CEI), we were able to offer comprehensive assistance to young entrepreneur Alexandru Ciobanu and his team, ranging from combining and streamlining internal operations to providing a roadmap for growth and suggestions on crisis survival during the pandemic.

This support helped Alex Garden become more agile and efficient, enabling the company to expand its operations and open a second site in Iași city, Romania.

Alexandru’s passion for gardening and landscaping design began when he was admiring a manicured green lawn while enjoying coffee in a restaurant in Chișinău. His first customers were his parents, who allowed him to experiment with their own back garden.

From there, he kept practicing, landscaping the gardens of his friends, building confidence and knowledge with each new project. “The outcomes were a success time and again,” he says. “I found the creative process of garden design fulfilling and so I decided to take a leap and set up a legal entity and start a proper business. From there, Alex Garden was born.”

In Moldova, competition is growing and the rapid development of this industry in the country is something Alexandru attributes to the demand for private garden space in the context of remote working: “It also demonstrates the closeness of people to nature and an awareness of the therapeutic benefits of gardening becoming more apparent to those with their own back yards,” he says.

The success of his work soon led to the creation of Alex Garden.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on the company’s operations, leading to supply chain challenges and a need to diversify suppliers. We were able to offer timely support through our Advice for Small Businesses team in Moldova, which provided strategic planning assistance and developed an “anti-crisis” plan to manage risks and maintain stability.

These measures proved successful, enabling the company to adapt to new economic realities quickly, increase its client base, and even employ additional staff members. Alex Garden now has nine employees, and its turnover and volume of business have doubled.

The company’s commitment to quality products and services, along with its passion for landscaping design and selling plants, has been integral to its success. Alex Garden is now continuing to expand its landscape design department and enter the Romanian market, and is even planning to build its own showroom and storage areas.

At the EBRD, we are proud to have supported Alex Garden on its journey and are excited to see the company continue to grow and succeed.

It is clear that Alexandru and his team love the creative process of landscaping design, as well as selling plants, and believe that theirs is a business with a noble pursuit. He says, “Our garden centre sells products that directly combat air pollution in our cities. Trees for example, provide a precious resource in absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. We hope to continue to stake our support in the climate change fight through the installation of solar panels in the near future,” he says.

He is also ebullient about the benefits of gardening as a relatively recent convert. Alexandru says, “The combination of physical activity, along with the peace I feel when gardening, is the best kind of therapy I can recommend. Being outdoors also affects you in more intangible ways and is great for your mental health and general wellbeing,” Alexandru concludes.

His enthusiasm is certainly infectious, and with summer approaching, there is an argument to be had that he might be on to something. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of his book!

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SOURCE: EBRD