Nearly 9 out of 10 large companies in Romania plan to maintain their current office footprint in 2026, signalling a shift from expansion to optimization, according to a Colliers survey of 101 companies.
Leasing demand for logistics space in Romania dropped 56% to approximately 80,000 sqm in Q1 2026 versus the same period of 2025, according to a report by Colliers.
Romania's office investment market recorded its strongest first quarter in a decade, with transactions totalling approximately €130 million, according to Colliers data. This represents more than triple the average for January-March periods over the past 10 years and signals renewed investor interest despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties.
Romanians are spending more on cinema experiences as economic pressures drive a shift towards leisure-oriented consumption. Cinema revenues reached approximately €63 million in 2025, up 16% compared to 2024 and around 10% above pre-pandemic levels, according to Colliers data.
Nearly half of companies in Romania expect employees to come to the office three to four days a week in 2026, as hybrid working becomes more structured, according to a survey conducted by Colliers among 101 companies.
Romania's green certification market remained active in 2025, with over 4.6 million sqm of real estate space receiving sustainability credentials despite European changes to reporting obligations.
New housing deliveries and transaction numbers fell by approximately 5% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to Colliers' annual report. While deliveries dropped to their lowest level since 2017, sales volumes remained around 20% above the pre-pandemic average.
Romania's hospitality industry recorded the highest number of hotel nights in three decades during 2025, according to Colliers' annual report. Despite a challenging economic backdrop in H2 2025, interest in Romanian travel remained strong, particularly among foreign tourists who generated nearly 5 million overnight stays.
Romania's construction market reached near-record levels in 2025, with work volumes growing almost 8% in the first eleven months compared to the previous year, according to Colliers' annual report. The sector now represents 9% of GDP, the highest share in the European Union and well above the 5% EU average.
Romanian investors became the most important source of capital on the local real estate market, generating approximately 30% of transaction volume in 2025 and accumulating nearly €1.8 billion in investments over the past decade, according to Colliers' annual report.
Bucharest's office market recorded its first year without new project deliveries in over two decades in 2025. On this backdrop, total leasing demand fell by around 25% year-on-year to approximately 250,000 sqm, while new space take-up totalled close to 90,000 sqm, according to Colliers data.
Romania's industrial and logistics market continued growing in 2025, with over 300,000 sqm of modern space delivered, bringing total stock to approximately 8 million sqm, according to Colliers' annual report.
Romania's modern retail market exceeded 5 million sqm in 2025, following deliveries of approximately 190,000 sqm of new retail space, around 20% above the five-year average, according to Colliers' annual report.
Romania's land market closed 2025 with transaction volumes similar to 2024 levels, totaling nearly €450 million. Political uncertainty and fiscal adjustments affected the first half of the year, but market sentiment improved after elections, with the final months delivering some of the strongest results in recent years, according to Colliers.
Central Europe's commercial real estate sector is experiencing a transformation, with Hungary leading the recovery through an 86% year-on-year increase in investment driven by Asian capital from China and South Korea. The CATL factory in Debrecen and BYD in Szeged, along with the planned Volvo plant in Košice, Slovakia, are reshaping the region's industrial landscape and creating demand for logistics space.
The traditional December shopping surge has weakened across Europe, with Romania recording a 20% increase in non-food sales during the holiday month compared to the previous 11 months, according to Colliers analysis of Eurostat data from 2015-2024.
Colliers has published a new report focusing on CEE, examining economic and real estate trends across Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The study shows that 2025 brought moderate economic recovery, easing inflation and rising focus on sustainability, while real estate markets were shaped by modernization, limited new office supply, strong logistics demand and retail park expansion.
Romania's modern retail market continues expanding, surpassing 5 million sqm of leasable retail space in 2025, according to Colliers data. The approximately 190,000 sqm delivered this year consolidated a stock heavily concentrated in Bucharest and five other counties, which together account for almost half of the total. However, Romania remains below regional peers in retail space per capita, indicating potential for further development.
Housing prices in Romania's major cities have increased by 60-90% over the past six years, making apartments increasingly unaffordable in central areas, according to a report by Colliers Romania. Bucharest saw a 60% rise, while Cluj leads with a 100% surge and Timișoara recorded 90% growth.
Confidence is returning across CEE real estate markets, with investor sentiment shifting from cautious optimism to execution, according to Colliers. The region continues to demonstrate resilience, supported by moderating inflation, solid household consumption, and strong employment levels.
Tetra Pak and Mega Image, together with partners Maspex, Tomra and Brai Cata, have expanded Europe's first pilot project for collecting carton packaging for beverages and dairy products by installing 12 additional reverse vending machines (RVMs) in Bucharest and surrounding areas.
Romanian restaurant operator City Grill Group has announced a €7 million investment in a new production facility for its ready meals range in Buftea, Ilfov County.
Rețele Electrice Romania, part of the PPC group in Romania, has completed modernisation works for the Obor Station, one of the most complex electricity distribution stations in Bucharest.
AI has become increasingly embedded in employees' day-to-day work over the past year. More than 48% of employees see AI as a tool that simplifies their work; however, many remain concerned about the broader implications of its growing integration, according to a survey conducted by Genesis Property early this year, on a sample of 1,146 employees.
Romania continues to record the highest rate of road traffic fatalities in the European Union, according to the latest figures released by Eurostat.