Real estate | 28 January, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Penny reaches 462 stores in Romania
Penny continues its national network expansion with the opening of a new store in Bacău. With this opening, the Penny network reaches 462 units nationwide.
Penny continues its national network expansion with the opening of a new store in Bacău. With this opening, the Penny network reaches 462 units nationwide.
The commercial real estate investment market totalled approximately €525 million in 2025, and transaction volumes this year are projected to hit the €800 million mark, according to Colliers Romania data.
Family Market Tomești, developed by Iulius, has obtained the building permit, marking a step in the development of the convenience retail concept for the local community.
Romanian investors led the commercial real estate investment market in 2025, accounting for 34% of total transaction value worth €579.4 million, according to a study by Fortim Trusted Advisors, an alliance member of BNP Paribas Real Estate.
Major real estate investors in Romania anticipate rental growth in 2026, particularly in the office segment, while occupier demand shows signs of consolidation rather than expansion, according to a new study by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Retail trade volume in Romania remained flat in November 2025 compared to the previous month, according to the latest data released by Eurostat.
Romanian business managers across key sectors forecast a moderate decline in economic activity for December 2025 to February 2026, according to the latest survey from the INS.
Romanian property holding Meta Estate Trust has launched Retail Park Ciolpani, marking the company's first operational asset and an early opening ahead of the planned Q1 2026 schedule.
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.
Holiday spending is decreasing by about 10% this year compared to 2024, as three-quarters of consumers (77%, up from 69% in 2024) expect higher prices on holiday goods.
Nepi Rockcastle has appointed Marius Barbu as COO, effective from April 2026, to succeed Marek Noetzel, current COO and CEO-designate. He has also been nominated as a Board Director and will stand for election at the next AGM in May 2026.
As winter holidays approach, Romanians experience both the joy of gift preparation and the pressure of festive spending.
Global Vision Investment Fund (GVIF) has signed a €4.5 million refinancing agreement with Raiffeisen Bank Romania for its retail project in Oradea.
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.
Romanian entrepreneurial group Agroland, active in retail, agribusiness, food production and animal nutrition, continues its expansion strategy by opening two new stores in Mega format in Odorheiu Secuiesc and Orăștie. With these openings, the Mega network reaches 36 units nationwide.
M Core has inaugurated M Park Orăștie, a retail park designed to strengthen the group's presence in regional markets and expand its national portfolio of convenience-led retail assets. Located on a 23,000 sqm land plot, the project delivers a built area of approximately 5,500 sqm.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is participating in a €43 million loan by Raiffeisen Bank Romania to Altex Romania, the country's leading electro-IT retailer.
AFI has secured a €537 million refinancing package for three projects in its portfolio: AFI Cotroceni, AFI Brașov, and AFI Ploiești. This represents the largest real estate refinancing transaction in Romania, reinforcing AFI's commitment to the growth and development of its projects in the country.
The active entertainment component within shopping malls in Romania was valued at €28-30 million in 2024, excluding competitive socialising venues such as bowling and billiards, which are also growing rapidly. This represents almost three times the market size compared to 2019, finds a study by Nhood Romnaia.
Aria Shopping Center, a new retail concept in Bucharest's District 6, has launched its pre-leasing phase with a target of 90% occupancy before opening.
The Confidex index has dropped from 51.3 to 47.2 compared to the previous edition, marking the largest decrease since the study's launch with nearly 7 percentage points, returning to a level comparable to H1 2021.
Enterprises across Europe and the Middle East have moved from AI pilots to scaled implementations, with nearly half of AI proof-of-concepts already in production.
In 2024, the average price of 1 hectare of arable land in the EU reached €15,224, reflecting a 6.1% increase from the previous year.
Penny continues its national network expansion with the opening of a new store in Bacău. With this opening, the Penny network reaches 462 units nationwide.
VC fund GapMinder has led a €1.5 million investment round in Croatian startup InsiderCx, an AI-powered patient feedback platform that helps healthcare providers collect actionable insights and improve patient experience.