The retail market in Romania has room for growth, considering that short-to-long term pipeline exceeds 800,000 sqm, consisting of projects under construction or in different permitting stages, which are due to be completed by the end of the decade.
72% of retailers aim to increase their store space, compared to 26% in 2022, with physical stores remaining a key element in the overall strategy.
Affan Yildirim, General Manager, member of the Board of Directors of Anchor Grup, and member of the Board of Directors of MallDova, talked to Property Forum about the trends shaping the Romanian retail market and the investments made in București Mall over the past 25 years to accommodate evolving demands of tenants and shoppers.
Mitiska REIM has announced the opening of a new retail park in Pitești, the first of four new retail projects that the investor plans to open in Romania in the next two years.
NEPI Rockcastle has completed the expansion works for the Shopping City Ploiești project.
iO Partners, a JLL Preferred Partner, has teamed up with Bright Spaces proptech to provide its clients with a 3D space planning tool.
Romanian developer Iulius is investing €40 million in the expansion of Iulius Mall Suceava that will increase the leasable area of the project to 60,000 sqm.
Romania's retail stock expanded by around 106,000 sqm during H1 2026, with another 205,000 sqm under development that could help the country reach the 5 million sqm milestone at the end of 2026, according to a Colliers report.
The largest openings in 2024 were Argeș Mall (51,400 square meters), the new Prime Kapital/MAS REI project in Pitești, followed by Aurora Mall in Giurgiu (13,500 square meters).
Romania's commercial property sector recorded investment transactions of €418 million in H1 2024, up 131% year-on-year, marking the biggest volume growth across CEE, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
This initiative marks the company's expansion into retail beyond dental hygiene products.
Only one scheme (5,000 sqm GLA) was delivered during Q1, namely Cometex Hunedoara, this being the lowest recorded quarterly new supply since Q1 2017.
The top real estate segments attracting the most investments are retail, hotels second and industrial third.
By the end of 2024 the stock of modern retail spaces will overpass 4.5 million. square meters setting a new record for Romania.
Without measures to support consumption, Romania risks losing its most important engine of economic growth.
Repaco Capital has started the construction of Crevedia Retail Park that will be completed in H2 2024 near Bucharest following an investment of €15 million.
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 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.
The European Retail Banking Radar, Kearney's latest study now in its 18th edition, shows that Europe is entering a period of normalisation following the conditions of 2023–2025. For Romania, the challenge extends beyond the normalisation of interest rates.
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.
Digi Spain has announced its intention to launch an initial public offering (IPO) on the Spanish stock exchanges, aiming to raise approximately €150 million.