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.
Calea Victoriei in Bucharest recorded the third-highest rent growth among 50 global markets analysed in Cushman & Wakefield's 2025 "Main Streets Across the World" report. With rents at €70 per sqm per month, representing a 17% increase from last year, Bucharest ranks 39th worldwide and 24th in Europe, level with Zagreb.
Nhood Romania has expanded its partnership with Urbano Group to take over full integrated property management of Urbano Shopping & Living, Transylvania's largest retail park located in the Cluj metropolitan area.
Goldbach Group has entered a strategic partnership with Hubix, a Romanian investment and management company, securing over €5.3 million to develop four new retail parks under the K2 brand. The partnership combines Goldbach Group's retail park development expertise with Hubix's financing structuring capabilities and private capital attraction through its established investors' community.
Romanian developer Intero Property Development has signed a sale contract with a retailer for 10,418 sqm of land at Bucharest-based SkyLight Residence. The new supermarket will be the retailer's largest store in Romania, spanning over 3,265 sqm. Construction is scheduled to start in approximately three months, with opening targeted for Q4 2026.
Sun Plaza has completed a major modernisation phase with the reopening of Zara according to the latest global flagship store concept designed by Zara's Architecture Office. The new space features expanded area, integrates new digital solutions and offers a fluid layout with interconnected spaces and separate entrances for intuitive navigation.
Romanian FMCG distributor Aquila reported a 17% increase in revenues to approximately RON 2.5 billion (€500 million) in the first nine months of 2025, driven by strong performance in its distribution and logistics segments.
Romania's industrial and logistics sector recorded strong growth in the first three quarters of 2025, driven by activity in the Bucharest area. Total leasing demand reached almost 640,000 sqm between January and September, up 64% compared to the same period last year, according to Colliers data.
CBRE reports that office demand in Bucharest remained stable in Q3 2025, with total leasing activity reaching 61,500 sqm, consistent with the previous quarter but down from last year's quarterly average and the first half of this year. Despite the constant activity levels, market dynamics shifted this quarter as net demand increased by 44% compared to Q2 2025, totalling 41,700 sqm.
The volume of retail trade in Romania saw a significant drop in September 2025, registering a -2.1% decrease compared to the same month in the previous year.
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.
Digi Spain has announced its intention to launch an initial public offering (IPO) on the Spanish stock exchanges, aiming to raise approximately €150 million.
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.
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Romanian measures for the national investment and development bank Banca de Investiții și Dezvoltare (BID).