Competition Council probes Pavăl Holding's Carrefour acquisition
Romania's Competition Council is analyzing the transaction through which Pavăl Holding, controlled by the Pavăl brothers, intends to acquire the Carrefour group in Romania.
Romania's Competition Council is analyzing the transaction through which Pavăl Holding, controlled by the Pavăl brothers, intends to acquire the Carrefour group in Romania.
Lidl Romania continues to invest in the country and announces for the financial year 2026 (1 March 2026 – 28 February 2027) an expansion plan of over €285 million.
AFI Romania has announced that all four buildings within the AFI Arad retail park have achieved LEED Gold certification. The certified buildings include AFI Arad Strip Mall, AFI Arad McDonald's, AFI Arad Leroy Merlin and AFI Arad Shopping Gallery.
Romania's retail sales volume (excluding automotive and motorcycle trade) dropped 9.1% year-on-year in January 2026 in gross terms, and 6.5% when adjusted for working days and seasonality, according to data released by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
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.
IGD – Immobiliare Grande Distribuzione has completed the sale of an asset in Turda through its subsidiary Win Magazin.
Shopping centres outside Bucharest were the most attractive real estate asset class for investors in 2025, accounting for almost 40% of the total transaction volume, according a new report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. Bucharest office buildings came second, with a 30% share in the total investment volume.
CPI Romania concluded 2025 by strengthening its position as a key player on the Romanian real estate market, with a portfolio of 280,000 sqm of modern office space, representing 8% of Bucharest's modern stock. The shopping centres in the company's portfolio recorded an occupancy rate of 98%, while Sun Plaza Bucharest launched a remodelling process.
CEC Bank has provided €36 million financing to Veranda Obor, owner of Veranda Mall shopping centre. The facility will refinance existing exposure, support development plans and enable capital distributions to shareholders.
NEPI Rockcastle, the largest owner of shopping centres in CEE, said its net operating income rose 11.2% year-on-year to a record €618 million in 2025, while the distributable earnings increased 6.7% to €441 million.
In a video interview recorded at CEE Property Forum 2025 in Vienna, Marek Noetzel, COO of NEPI Rockcastle and incoming CEO from April 2026, shares his outlook on retail trade across the region, the company's growth strategy and his priorities for the next phase of leadership.
Romania's Competition Council has conditionally approved the acquisition of Supermarket La Cocoș by the Schwarz Group through Project Brazil Beta company, following an investigation by the authority.
Retail developers continue to accelerate expansion plans across Romania, with projects totalling more than 750,000 sqm currently in construction and planning stages for delivery until 2029, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Property developer Prime Kapital has secured a €150 million syndicated loan arranged by UniCredit Bank Romania and Alpha Bank Greece to refinance Mall Moldova.
Romania's commercial real estate investment market recorded approximately €500 million in 2025, down 31% from the previous year, due to the absence of large transactions.
Symphopay is strengthening its position as a payment orchestration solution for retail in Romania, following implementation across more than 1,750 stores in the Profi network.
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.
Uber Eats will launch in Romania later this year as part of Uber's expansion across Europe.
Pavăl Holding, the investment vehicle of the Pavăl family and majority shareholder of Dedeman, has signed an exclusive negotiation agreement with Carrefour Group to acquire its Romanian operations. This step marks the group's expansion into a new strategic segment: food retail.
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.

Lidl Romania continues to invest in the country and announces for the financial year 2026 (1 March 2026 – 28 February 2027) an expansion plan of over €285 million.
Restaurant technology startup Choice has secured €6.6 million in new funding and is accelerating its expansion across CEE, including Romania, where it entered in 2025.
Israeli developer Econergy Renewable Energy has secured €31 million in project financing from Kommunalkredit for its 60MW Ovidiu solar project in Romania.
Alive Energy has acquired Green Storage Farm, a battery energy storage system with 82.8 MW of installed power and 181 MWh storage capacity. The project has reached ready-to-build status and received foreign direct investment screening clearance.
Romania's Competition Council is analyzing the transaction through which Pavăl Holding, controlled by the Pavăl brothers, intends to acquire the Carrefour group in Romania.