VRIJEME JE ZA GOSPODARSTVO Laurentiu Florin Dimitriu

Laurentiu Florin Dimitriu's first year as Nestlé GM in the region, starting April last year, quickly shifted from planning for 11.8% organic growth to managing a -1.6% dip in the first half of 2020 due to the crisis. A crisis, he argues, is "the best school for managers," not merely a challenge, but a crucible that reveals a company’s strength through its forced adaptation.

Nestlé's innovation focus had been on "to-go" products, designed for tourists and on-the-move consumption, but the crisis abruptly shifted demand to "at-home" use. Even for a global food company, strategy can be upended overnight, forcing a rapid pivot to meet new realities where, as Dimitriu notes, "your home becomes the center of the universe" for product consumption.

E-commerce for Nestlé in Croatia saw a 60% growth during the crisis, climbing from approximately 1% of total sales. This rapid shift isn't just about opening online stores; it forces a fundamental re-think of logistics ("nobody can deliver such huge quantities to home addresses") and the need for products to be "first in search results" through organic visibility.

Nestlé had focused on e-commerce "several years before" the crisis hit, an investment that Dimitriu describes as an "accelerator" when the market pivoted. If a company is just starting to build its digital sales infrastructure now, it will be "ready in three or four years," which he suggests, is "already a lost battle" in a fast-moving market.

The demand for new skills to sell products online led Nestlé to develop its "Business Academy online training" program specifically for sales and marketing teams. A sudden, market-wide shift in consumer behavior isn't just a strategic problem; it's a people problem that demands immediate, targeted re-skilling across the organization.

Nestlé’s resilience comes from its diversified portfolio, which spans seven categories from coffee and culinary products to pet food and science-based nutritional solutions. This "dispersed nature of categories" provides inherent strength, allowing the company to practice "the art of balancing" its segments and absorb shocks when one area faces headwinds.

Dimitriu credits the Croatian government for doing "a good job" in bringing tourists back to a country that typically hosts 20 million visitors annually against its 4.5 million residents. Even the largest multinationals operate within local realities, where specific governmental actions can significantly influence economic recovery and market conditions.