Retail trade volume drops in Romania, despite EU growth

Business Forum

6 November, 2025 at 6:45 PM

The volume of retail trade in Romania saw a significant drop in September 2025, registering a -2.1% decrease compared to the same month in the previous year, according to Eurostat.

This places Romania among the Member States with the largest annual decreases, second only to Italy (-2.3%).

This is a sharp contrast to the European Union (EU), which recorded an overall 1.3% increase in the calendar-adjusted retail sales index. The euro area also saw positive growth, rising by 1.0% year-on-year.

Romania's annual decline in total retail trade volume was part of a larger trend of decreases also observed in Belgium (-0.8%) and Austria (-0.1%).

Conversely, the highest annual increases in total retail trade volume across the Member States were recorded in Cyprus (+8.5%), Malta (+6.6%), and Bulgaria (+5.7%).

On a month-to-month basis, the seasonally adjusted retail trade volume in Romania showed a rebound, increasing by 1.3% in September 2025 compared with August 2025. This follows a sharp monthly decrease of -4.0% in August. For the entire EU, the volume of retail trade remained stable in September, while the euro area saw a slight decrease of 0.1%.

Competition Council raises concerns over Schwarz Group's acquisition of La Cocoș

The Competition Council in Romania has issued a series of competition concerns regarding the planned acquisition of local retailer La Cocoș by the Schwarz Group.

Real estate

NEPI Rockcastle names COO Marek Noetzel as new CEO

Nepi Rockcastle has appointed Marek Noetzel as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 April 2026. Noetzel, who has served as the company's COO since June 2022, will succeed current CEO Rüdiger Dany.

Real estate

Shopper Park Plus plans €100 million share offering for CEE expansion

Shopper Park Plus, a Hungarian real estate investment company, announced plans for a secondary public offering of approximately 8 million newly issued shares in the last quarter of 2025. The company expects to raise between €90 million and €110 million through the offering on the Budapest Stock Exchange.

Economy

Romania registers highest deficit in EU during Q2

Romania recorded the largest general government deficit in the EU during the second quarter of 2025, reaching -8.7% of GDP.

Finance

Romania posts highest EU inflation rate in September

Romania recorded the EU's highest annual inflation rate in September 2025, reaching 8.6%, according to figures published by Eurostat.

Industry

Romanian retail sector sees sharpest monthly drop in the EU

The seasonally adjusted retail trade volume remained stable across the EU, with a modest 0.1% increase in the euro area compared to July 2025, according to Eurostat.