Harry-Ilan Laufer, founder of Retail Group and the businessman who brought H&M to Romania was named State Secretary in the Ministry for the Business Environment, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.
The decision was signed by PM Sorin Grindeanu. Israel-born Ilan Laufer (33) started his career in 2002 at the real estate consultancy CBRE as Senior Broker. Later, in 2004, he became Development Manager of Czech clothes brand Time-Out, for which he developed a network of 15 stores.
At beginning 2007, Ilan Laufer created his own real estate company, Retail Group. In 2012 Laufer is named vice president of Elita 5 Holding, headed by Moldovan businessman Alexandru Pincevschii. He left the company in January 2016.
Retail Group SRL finished 2015 with RON 495,000 lei losses, double compared to 2014, and the company’s turnover dropped by half, to RON 1.11 million. Ilan Laufer controls the Retal Group Advisors SRL, created in 2015, when it recorded a net profit of RON 103,393 for a RON 1.1 million turnover.
The newly-appointed State Secretary in the is a supporter of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). During the presidential elections campaign he publicly endorsed PSD candidate Victor Ponta.
Laufer has been a frequent guest on the Antena 3 TV show Daily Income.
