August the 26th, 2022 - The highly successful Croatian franchise Carwiz is set to expand to the markets of Kosovo and Slovakia as it continues its spread across the globe.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, one of the most successful Croatian franchises, the rent-a-car company Carwiz, is continuing its expansion on the global market, and new partners are coming from Slovakia and Kosovo.

As explained by the Zagreb-based company, after the signing of the contract with the aforementioned two new partners, new Carwiz offices are expected to be opened in these countries, namely at Pristina Airport and Gnjilan, and in Slovakia at Bratislava Airport.

Sabedin Sinani, RCK sh.P.k. the director of the franchisor from Kosovo, pointed out that the main reason for their joining the rapidly expanding Carwiz rent-a-car network was because they recognised the global influence and effectiveness of the brand in the region and beyond it.

"I believe that together, through the Carwiz brand, we'll manage to highlight the seriousness and quality of our joint business, and thus successfully continue to respond to the demanding market conditions and user needs," said Sinani.

The success of working through the Carwiz brand is best demonstrated by the example of Slovakia, given that the same company that operates as a franchisor in the Czech Republic, and after only two and a half years of being there, it has recorded impressive business growth through an increase in reservations of as much as 92% compared to 2021.

Considering the results achieved in the past time in the Czech Republic, Erik Rajohnson, director of RX auto s.r.o. decided to expand to the Slovakian market through the Carwiz brand.

"Being part of the Carwiz family has proven to be a safe and productive business move. Doing business through the Carwiz brand over the last two years brought us a strong positioning of the company on the market and results that exceeded our expectations, even through situations of global crises. We're extremely satisfied, and taking all that into account, it wasn't difficult to make the decision that we want to repeat it here in Slovakia," Rajohnson said.

Carwiz has also announced that their network expansion strategy will certainly not stop at Kosovo and Slovakia, and according to the development plan, they have already announced the signing of contracts with some more new franchisors, emphasising that given the good sales results of all tourism branches of the economy throughout 2022, which shows signs of recovery in tourist traffic after two years of the coronavirus crisis, it is likely that they are approaching the levels of traffic they enjoyed back in 2019.

For Carwiz International, this means the continuation of the extremely successful expansion of the franchisor network in more than 30 countries around the world. The last major expansion was a few months ago in Poland, where they opened four new locations and now have eight points in that country.

Cities on the wish list

“We see enormous potential for a brand like Carwiz in Poland. Despite almost two years of the global coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, people still want to rent reliable cars at good prices. We saw an opportunity for growth and decided to continue with the development plans. We'll by no means stop there because there are more cities on our wish list," said Robert Mucha, the CEO of Carwiz Poland.

In the last year of operation, Carwiz International has signed 12 partnerships, and today, in addition to being present here in Croatia, it operates in Greece, Serbia, Albania, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal, Morocco, St. Maarten, Latvia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, USA, Mauritius, Malta, Montenegro, Canada, Romania, and soon Kosovo and Slovakia.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

March the 16th, 2022 - Issues in the overall Croatian rental car business are arising as preparations slowly but surely begin as 2022's tourist season approaches. What were once issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic are now being added to by something else...

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, what began as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic in the Croatian rental car market has continued even more fiercely and with even greater uncertainty under the new circumstances of Putin's shock invasion of Ukraine, bringing total disorder to the car rental market worldwide, including here in Croatia.

Purchasing new cars is a bit like taking your chances on the lottery, no well-known models are being used for this purpose, used vehicles are being sold at never higher prices, and with demand stronger than supply, service prices are also soaring.

Here in Croatia, this will certainly affect the quality of tourist services offered in this year's summer season for which preparations are now underway, albeit with increasingly uncertain forecasts.

As has since been found out in the Croatian rental car sector, there are no indications that this situation will change significantly in the next year, and what possibly acts as a comfort to those working in this sector is that this crisis could serve as something corrective to the dumping market which has become a problem in itself over more recent years.

"Due to the coronavirus pandemic, supply routes were disrupted, which has worsened with inflation, and especially with the uncertain situation in Ukraine. Preparations for the summer season are underway, and if the predictions we had before the invasion of Ukraine do come true, which is an increase in demand, we'll have a disruption in the Croatian rental car market, as will other Mediterranean countries,'' said Boris Zgomba, CEO Uniline, which develops its car rental business through the very well known Europcar franchise.

Europcar is currently in the process of assembling a fleet that is usually completed by the month of April, so there's still some time left, albeit not much. Zgomba says it was challenging to get their hands on vehicles, but the situation isn't that dramatic. What comes to them, however, will be more expensive than last year, when demand was better than back in 2020, and prices have already jumped compared to the time before the global pandemic.

However, before the pandemic struck, at a time of car overproduction, supply was higher than demand, but was more and more strained across the entire service chain. This led to cars being rented for ''peanuts''. Kresimir Dobrilovic, the founder and owner of the leading European franchise Carwiz International, often pointed out this problem here on the Croatian market.

"The market of the whole of Europe is in the same basket, and it comes down to the fact that everyone manages as they know how. It used to be normal to get several hundred cars at once, now you literally go from showroom to showroom and get a few cars which are more expensive, but you have to have a basic means of work and you need safe cars. It's a big issue because importers can't guarantee that car rental companies will get the vehicles they ordered and paid for, and companies can't accept reservations if they aren't sure they will even have a fleet, because they have to try to maintain the trust of their customers,'' explained Dobrilovic.

It is equally challenging on the market of used cars, whose prices have skyrocketed.

"Wholesalers of used cars also contact us every day with some seriously expensive options, which would make sense if we could predict how the market will move in the coming period. Because buying a car and not knowing how much you can sell it for in a year is a very risky move,'' explained the owner of the Carwiz International franchise, who recently sold his operating business here in Croatia to ABmobil rent.

As was recently announced, the new Management Board of Carwiz in Croatia plans to increase the number of branches compared to last year in 2022, and it also plans to significantly increase the size of its vehicle fleet to more than 1,500 vehicles in the summer season.

What awaits the Croatian rental car market in the future is hard to predict, but some research carried out in England has shown that the market won't return to normal in the next three years, and we still have a great unknown hanging above our heads, and that's how the war in Ukraine following Russian invasion will unfold.

"Although it's very difficult to make any forecasts now, our colleagues might think about how it was before the pandemic, when the large offer and the way of doing business led to a lot of dumping in the car rental business. This is an opportunity for the market, once it stabilises, to become more aware and return to some dimensions of profitable business,'' concluded Kresimir Dobrilovic.

For more, make sure to check out our business section.

December 18, 2021 - Croatian Carwiz rent-a-car opened a new branch office in Pula to expand its business and open a new market.

On this occasion, Carwiz rent-a-car became a proud sponsor of Croatian First League football club Istra 1961 this season, which lasts until May 21, 2022, reports HRTurizam. 

"Because we recognized the football club NK Istra 1961 as our future strategic partner for development and positive business, we decided that sponsoring NK Istra is the basis for business relations between Pula, Istria, and Carwiz," said Carwiz.

Since Carwiz operates throughout Croatia, including Istria, this cooperation is a logical path by which both sides will achieve their desired goal. Carwiz thus strengthens the promotion and vision of the brand, while NK Istra 1961 gets a solid and stable sponsor.

Carwiz recognizes NK Istra football club as a future strategic partner for development and positive business and sees sponsorship with NK Istra as the basis for friendly relations between the city of Pula and the entire Istrian region Carwiz said. The company added that in this way, they are building the foundations and giving NK Istria and the people of Istria their rent-a-car professional service with the desire for mutual business cooperation.

"We believe that new acquaintances are created through sports, which eventually become friendships. New customers who become loyal customers. With this act, we want to get acquainted with NK Istra and create a long-term cooperation with football fans and loyal fans of this famous football club, with the desire to see in the future how our club, NK Istra, competes in the Croatian First League and European competitions, in to which we give them our full support," concluded Carwiz.

Through its business and active participation in promoting sports through sponsorships in various sports clubs, Carwiz is already established as a company that promotes sports and shows that doing this is not a foreign concept.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

September 29, 2020 - How to manage the virtual world and combat long term consequences of a crisis?

Expanding a brand during a crisis clearly brings many challenges and changes to doing business. Economic entities count losses as a result of lockdown, and the question is: how to set up your business, how to approach not only clients but suppliers and potential and current business partners? 

We care more and more about our domestic market, think about individuals, their needs, and safety, but what about our foreign partners? How to approach them, encourage them, or gain their trust?

CARWIZ rent a car, who already presented its own franchise network at some of the world’s biggest travel industry shows, such as ITB in Berlin or WTM in London and achieved enviable results and franchise partnerships, has managed to establish new ways of communication. 

What had up until recently been face to face, now became virtual. Considering the physical distance and virtual communication, it’s important to adapt to dialog, meetings, and fairs to new conditions, but also maintain an emotional connection with the market. 

Although Carwiz, like all businesses, and especially those in the travel industry, is facing a challenging and difficult year, Carwiz has proven that continuing to expand its business is difficult but possible -  with a new franchise partnership in Cyprus and expansion to the eastern Mediterranean.  

Carwiz’s new partner, Leos Group of Companies, has been in business since 1983 with a mission to be the most professional car rental supplier in Cyprus, offering the highest standard of service, building strong and enduring relationships with customers and suppliers based on trust and honesty.

Their brand strength plays into the Carwiz mission and vision perfectly, even during the crisis, as they operate in every major city in Cyprus, including an office at Larnaca International Airport. 

The question remains- how to gain trust, which should result in a partnership and global expansion? Here we primarily mean global expansion at a time when the world is increasingly closing and every country and business is focusing on their own domestic market.

“A new business method, education, and keeping a clear direction is key. To work during a crisis, it’s important to establish the stability and efficiency of a company, adjust your services, and meet the clients’ needs and wishes. Most of the responsibility lies in the sales teams, but it’s also very important to consider reorganising the entire business in order for it to maintain its success in the short and long term, given the uncertainty which this crisis brings us,“  says Carwiz. 

Even though we still don’t know the long term consequences caused by the Coronavirus, one thing is certain- businesses need to adapt, embrace new methods, and prepare for business during crises. 

Any authentic brand, such as Carwiz, which cares about clients and business partners, will be able to maintain their brand’s strength, provided they react quickly, accept changes and have the right team of professionals who follow trends and embrace changes. 

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December 6, 2019 - After successfully breaking into the US market, Carwiz continues its expansion in the States through its franchise model.

Croatian car rental company Carwiz has positioned itself as a leader in the car rental segment in a short time - and in just a year, made a major leap forward and attacked and expanded into the global market through a franchise model.

Thus, in less than a year, Carwiz is already present in 15 international markets, and it is with this new franchise partnership that they continue to expand globally in the most demanding market yet - the United States.

By signing a contract with the company from the world's largest car rental market operating in Orlando International Airport, Southeastern Florida, Carwiz International opened its first US car rental office last month.

"We started the negotiations in February this year and finalized them during the WTM fair in London. American versus other markets is the most challenging because of market rules that are very different from European, African, and Asian. We think the branch office at Orlando International Airport, which is also the largest rental car market in the world, is a good way to introduce ourselves to US customers,” explained Frane Herceg, Franchise Manager of Carwiz rent a car.

And now, following its first outlet at Orlando International Airport, Carwiz is positioned at one of the most important US financial hubs and one of the world’s busiest airports, Miami International Airport, reports HRTurizam.

"Last week, the news of opening the first franchise branch in the US was joined by a new franchise partner in Florida, which after entering the US market in just one week, we achieved two partnerships, thus increasing the number of franchise partnerships to 16 countries," Carwiz said.

According to Carwiz, interest in their franchise exists from as many as twenty new countries.

"The expressed interest comes from European, American, and exotic and distant countries thanks to the service we offer our partners - from daily contact regardless of the time difference and mentoring. The company is projected to grow by the end of the year in twenty countries. We have achieved a lot of partnerships thanks to our visual identity, which also proved to be very attractive at WTM and the success we have achieved in just two years of business, during which we have established ourselves as one of the strongest players in the rent-a-car industry,” Carwiz's director, Kresimir Dobrilovic said last month, adding that quality management of the franchises and the support they provide to partners have proven to be the main precondition for the company's growth.

Interest from Qatar, India, Mauritius, the Dominican Republic, Florida, and Azerbaijan indicate that a global brand can enhance local business, give it importance and improve sales, adds Dobrilovic, and concludes that their global brand presence suggests that price is not the most critical factor in the market.

 To read more about business in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

November 16, 2019 - Croatian rent-a-car company Carwiz has opened its first rental office in the United States.

HRTurizam writes that Croatian car rental company Carwiz has positioned itself as a leader in this segment in a short time - and in just a year, made a major leap forward, unthinkable to many at the time, and attacked and expanded into the global market through a franchise model.

Thus, Carwiz became a Croatian export product and part of the tourism sector. In less than a year, through its franchise model, Carwiz is already present in 15 international markets, and it is with this new franchise partnership that they continue its global expansion in the most demanding market yet - the United States.

Having a presence in the US market is a dream for all companies, especially from a small market like Croatia. The US market is extremely competitive and demanding, and few in Croatia have succeeded in doing so, not counting IT companies. However, this feat was accomplished by Carwiz.

Carwiz has thus opened its first car rental office in the United States.

By signing a contract with the company from the world's largest car rental market operating in Orlando International Airport, Southeastern Florida, Carwiz International has opened its first US car rental office.

"We started the negotiations in February this year and finalized them during the WTM fair in London. American versus other markets is the most challenging because of market rules that are very different from European, African, and Asian. We think the branch office at Orlando International Airport, which is also the largest rental car market in the world, is a good way to introduce ourselves to US customers,” explained Frane Herceg, Franchise Manager of Carwiz rent a car.

Thus, after the European, African, and Asian markets, Carwiz also enters the US market and continues its global expansion.

Carwiz dreams of becoming one of the strongest players in the rental car industry; however, expectations for expansion on the global map for this year are not yet met. According to Carwiz, at the recently concluded WTM fair in London, interest in the Cariwz franchise exists from as many as twenty new countries.

"They expressed interest comes from European, American, and exotic and distant countries to us thanks to the service we offer our partners - from daily contact regardless of the time difference and mentoring. The company is projected to grow by the end of the year in twenty countries. We have achieved a lot of partnerships thanks to our visual identity, which also proved to be very attractive at the fair and the success we have achieved in just two years of business, during which we have established ourselves as one of the strongest players in the rent-a-car industry,” Carwiz's director, Kresimir Dobrilovic, emphasizes, adding that quality management of the franchises and the support they provide to partners have proven to be the main precondition for the company's growth.

Interest from Qatar, India, Mauritius, the Dominican Republic, Florida, and Azerbaijan indicate that a global brand can enhance local business, give it importance and improve sales, adds Dobrilovic, and concludes that their global brand presence suggests that price is not the only and the most critical factor in the market.

This Croatian company is slowly and surely one of the strongest players in the international rental car industry.

To read more about business in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The successful Croatian rent-a-car company Carwiz has now signed new franchise partnerships expanding its operations in Ireland, Malta, Iceland and Poland.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 16th of October, 2019, in just one month, the Croatian Carwiz rent-a-car company completed negotiations and positioned four new franchise forms of business on the world map.

The newly launched franchise form in Iceland and a signed partnership with one of Iceland's oldest and most promising companies, Icerental 4x4, led by Magnús Arnar Kjartansson, soon joined the partnership with Fugazi Car Rentals Limited, a company that is part of the international Famalco Group in Malta.

This Maltese giant, led by Hermann Mallia and Sandra Mallia, is shaping its strength and advantage through various industries that are the subject of a successful corporation business - from renewable energy real estate services to the property, retail and rental management industry, as well as car service and logistics. By signing a partnership with Fugazi Car Rentals, Carwiz has marketed its business success in two countries, Malta and Ireland.

At the same time, negotiations with partners from Poland were completed, with the Carwiz family joining Inter Fleet Franchise Sp, headed by two partners, Tomasz Supany and Tomasz Pulter. Inter Fleet Franchise Sp, a company owned by a powerful investment fund, has gained a strong market position in its homeland of Poland due to its business operations so far, has positioned itself at the top of the leader board, while due to the quality of the Carwiz brand and the ease of doing business with the Croatian company, it has decided on brand synergy and ultimately on signing an agreement.

“A successful business strategy, positive brand image and internal efforts have proven to be an effective formula for expanding the Carwiz brand. My franchisees and my entire team have done a great job, which I'm extremely proud of, because for us, new franchises are not only a number we want to reach, but a carefully planned positioning and a pass to strengthen our position in the rent-a-car industry,'' stated Krešimir Dobrilović, founder and CEO of Carwiz.

Franchise manager, Vladimir Banović, participated in the successful marketing of Carwiz's franchise business model in fourteen countries. At the same time, Vladimir provides existing partners with support in the business process with the aim of improving the quality of the brand. Carwiz has also revealed that their franchise managers are currently negotiating with three new potential clients.

With its 4,000 vehicles and over sixty locations worldwide, Croatia's Carwiz rent-a-car is one of the leaders in the rental car industry, with almost one hundred employees in Croatia.

Over the past year, thanks to a proven and successful franchise business model, Carwiz has launched partnerships and collaborations in Greece, Serbia, Turkey, Morocco, Albania, Latvia, St. Maarten and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as of this month, partners from Ireland, Iceland, Malta and Poland can experience business success.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 7th of August, 2019, Croatia's Carwiz rent-a-car service has now entered into a cooperation agreement with a South Korean partner, Dongbo Air Service, one of the largest car, air, rail and water service providers in the whole of South Korea.

"Our entrance onto the market of South Korea is a step based on analysis and figures, so we're pleased that the partners have accepted our proposal with both hands. It is important to point out that the market is changing, as are the habits of South Korean tourists, who have in recent years become a group of tourists who have gone from exclusively organised tourists, to being more and more inclined to arranging their own travel plans,'' said Krešimir Dobrilović, the founder and director of Croatia's very successful Carwiz rent-a-car company.

This Croatian company went on to explain the fact that South Korean users of these types of services differ quite significantly from European users, in that the age of the vehicle they're going to be using plays an important role, as do all of its available accessories, from GoPro cameras, all the way to WiFi availability, without which they almost cannot imagine going about their lives and travelling.

"Compared to European tourists, Koreans are less price-sensitive and thus willing to set aside a larger budget so that they have absolutely everything they need to make their trip an unforgettable experience," Dobrilović added. Back in June this year, the company announced that it had launched a franchise business on the Caribbean market, more specifically in St. Maarten, a business move on which we reported.

That marked Carwiz International's first business move towards overseas markets. Negotiations are ongoing on the positioning of Croatia's Carwiz rent-a-car on other, surrounding Caribbean islands, which after Croatia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Cyprus, Morocco, Turkey, Serbia and Albania has finalised this company's additional global positioning.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 17th of June, 2019, the Croatian company Carwiz International has launched a franchise business of its brand on no less than the distant Caribbean market, more specifically on the island of Sint. Maarten.

Currently, negotiations are underway regarding the positioning of the Croatian Carwiz rent-a-car on the surrounding Caribbean islands, too, thus successfully completing the additional global positioning of this Croatian brand after its success in Croatia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Cyprus, Morocco, Turkey, Serbia and Albania. It's also Carwiz International's first real business step towards distant, overseas markets.

According to Krešimir Dobrilović, the director and owner of Carwiz, the placement of this Croatian company on the distant Caribbean market has achieved great success:

"It's well known that the Caribbean, more specifically Sint. Maarten, is an exceptionally strong tourist destination. It's a destination with tourism achievements which have received respected in the international context. Our partners with whom we've completed the franchise placement process, are absolutely sure that the business results we're expect in the coming years will be achieved. Additionally, by strengthening the brand and promoting it through the available channels, we expect the Carwiz family will find its way to some other Caribbean destinations soon,''

Over the past few years, the Caribbean has recorded over thirty million visitors annually. Bearing in mind that guests visiting the Caribbean are usually those with more money to spend, from the US, Canada and European markets, and the spending in these destinations is growing at an average of three percent a year, making Carwiz's success on this market even more significant.

To date, the Croatian company Carwiz International has successfully achieved franchise network placement on the markets of Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Cyprus, Morocco, Turkey, Serbia and Albania.

The management of Carwiz is currently conducting franchise cooperation negotiations with as many as twenty rent-a-car companies from around the world, including with the markets of Vietnam, Brazil, Russia, Malaysia, Malta, Portugal, and Spain.

Today, Carwiz employs almost 100 people and operates through online sales channels and through thirteen branch offices in all major cities and tourist destinations across the Republic of Croatia.

Through B2B channels, they operate with virtually all major international tourism-emitting markets. Significant results were achieved after only two years of doing business, while a turnover of fifty million kuna was realised in the past year alone.

This Croatian company's total traffic grew by more than 100 percent when compared to 2017, as did the number of employees.

Follow our dedicated business page for much more on Croatian companies, products and services.