Athens, March 28th 2001. According to the GERMANOS Group of Companies' strategic expansion, based on which the successful model of development of GERMANOS chain of stores is expanding abroad, GERMANOS proceeded with the Polish chain of stores EKO CONTEL takeover, aiming at developing 90 stores by the end of the year.EKO CONTEL chain of stores, based in Warsaw, operates in retail sales of mobile telephony products and services, numbering 54 stores as well as sub-dealers all over the country. In addition EKO CΟNTEL is a commercial partner of the leading mobile telephony operator PTC-ERA which owns 54% of the Polish market share.The Group is mainly targeting at entering dynamically in the Polish market through the reorganization and the further expansion of EKO CONTEL in the specific market. Therefore, according to the strategic plan of the Group, until the end of 2001, the chain of stores will be numbering 90 stores, which will operate in the mobile telephony product and services area (mobile telephones, connections, cardphones) and will also provide full technical service (mobile service) and gadgets.The Polish market is particularly attractive and very promising, having 39 million people, a number that exceeds the total population of all the other countries in which GERMANOS Chain of Stores operates (Greece, Cyprus, Rumania, Bulgaria).In addition, the pace of development of the GVP in Poland is above 5% each year and the relevantly low penetration percentage in mobile telephony wavers at 17%. According to the estimations of the Mobile Telephone Operators it is expected that by the end of 2001 the penetration in the Polish market will rise to 24%.The knowledge and the experience of GERMANOS Group of Companies in sales, marketing and customer service, are a guarantee for the creation of a successful chain of stores in the Polish market.