Real estate

Business Forum   |   20 August, 2026 at 5:46 PM

STRABAG PFS acquires Brenneka to enter Romania

STRABAG Property and Facility Services (STRABAG PFS), a subsidiary of construction group STRABAG, signed an agreement on 11 August 2026 to acquire 100 per cent of the shares in Brenneka Install SRL and Samivo Instal SRL, two companies within the Brenneka Group headquartered in Bacău, Romania. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

Attila Bacsa   |   19 August, 2026 at 11:31 AM

NEPI Rockcastle raises full-year guidance after H1 2026 results

NEPI Rockcastle, Europe's third-largest listed retail real estate company by portfolio value, reported net operating income of €318 million for the first half of 2026, a 3.8% year-on-year increase. The result was driven by rental indexation, active leasing and tighter cost control, with a recovery rate of 96%. Like-for-like tenant sales rose 2.7%, supported by a 3.3% increase in average spend per visit. Occupancy stood at 98.2%, and a €126 million valuation uplift brought the total portfolio value to €8.4 billion.

Business Forum   |   19 August, 2026 at 11:06 AM

Romania retail sales top €42 billion in 2025

Romanians spent more than €42 billion in major retail chains in 2025, up 5.6% on 2024 and 77% above the 2019 level, according to the Romania Retail Snapshot 2026 report published by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, based on the financial results of 125 companies across 13 retail segments. Retailers recorded an average annual revenue growth of 10% between 2019 and 2025, outpacing cumulative inflation over the same period.

Business Forum   |   18 August, 2026 at 8:00 AM

The logistics opportunity investors are only beginning to notice

Across CEE, the strongest investment stories are often found in markets that remain relatively small. Before Warsaw became one of Europe's largest logistics hubs or western Romania emerged as a manufacturing powerhouse, both were characterised by the same combination of improving infrastructure, competitive costs and limited modern stock. Today, a similar conversation is beginning to take shape around Iași.

Attila Bacsa   |   12 August, 2026 at 11:11 AM

Bucharest office vacancy reaches five-year low

Bucharest's office market recorded net take-up of 73% of total leasing activity in the first half of 2026, up from 53% in the same period of 2025, according to the Cushman & Wakefield Echinox Marketbeat Office Q2 2026 report. Total take-up reached 109,500 sqm in H1, of which 60,400 sqm were transacted in Q2 alone, although overall leasing volume remained approximately 10% below H1 2025 levels. The vacancy rate fell to 11.6% in Q2, its lowest point since Q3 2020, driven primarily by stronger demand from IT&C sector occupiers.

RECOMMENDED FROM THE HOME PAGE
Bucharest yields remain well above Western European levels
Real estate

Bucharest yields remain well above Western European levels

Bucharest is consolidating its position within the Central and Eastern European (CEE) real estate market, combining rental growth across major asset classes with investment yields that remain well above Western European levels, according to the DNA of Real Estate Europe Q2 2026 report published by Cushman & Wakefield. Across Europe in Q2 2026, prime office rents rose 4.5% year-on-year, retail rents increased 3.0%, and logistics rents grew 2.4%, while investors remained selective as yield movements pointed to a more balanced market following the repricing cycle of recent years.

Energy

Electrica secures grid permits for 700 MWh of storage

Energy company Electrica informs investors and the capital market that it has obtained the technical grid connection permits (ATR) for 17 new battery energy storage projects (BESS), with a total capacity of approximately 700 MWh.

Energy

Romanian grid operator to support peak power consumption during heatwave

Romania's national electricity transmission network operator, Transelectrica, has halted scheduled maintenance shutdowns to ensure the grid operates at maximum capacity during an ongoing extreme heatwave. The preventive measures aim to mitigate operational risks associated with severe weather conditions.