Retail trade volume drops in Romania, despite EU growth
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.
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.
The Competition Council in Romania has issued a series of competition concerns regarding the planned acquisition of local retailer La Cocoș by the Schwarz Group.
Nepi Rockcastle has appointed Marek Noetzel as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 April 2026. Noetzel, who has served as the company's COO since June 2022, will succeed current CEO Rüdiger Dany.
Shopper Park Plus, a Hungarian real estate investment company, announced plans for a secondary public offering of approximately 8 million newly issued shares in the last quarter of 2025. The company expects to raise between €90 million and €110 million through the offering on the Budapest Stock Exchange.
Florentin Avădanei, Founder & Co-CEO at Goldbach Group, talked to Property Forum about the company's strategy of focusing on small urban and rural areas, their consolidation in 2024, and the future of physical retail in Romania.
Penny Romania retail chain has inaugurated its new logistics depot in Mihăilești, Giurgiu County, near Bucharest, marking a €35 million investment in sustainable infrastructure. The facility is the first in the company's network to operate entirely without gas heating, using waste heat recovery systems and heat pumps instead.
Once considered a purely transactional asset class, retail in CEE is rapidly evolving into a platform for experience, community, and brand identity. This shift was at the centre of the discussion at SEE Property Forum 2025, where industry leaders explored how shopping centres are adapting to changing consumer expectations, ESG requirements, and the growing demand for meaningful, multi-use spaces.
Romanian e-commerce giant eMAG is gearing up for its 15th annual Black Friday event on November 7, which the company expects to set new records for the online commerce industry.
Romania's retail sector delivered 186,000 sqm of new shopping centres and retail parks in the first three quarters of 2025, already exceeding the 180,000 sqm delivered across the entire 2024. Developers plan to complete an additional 30,000 sqm by year-end, bringing the total annual supply to approximately 217,000 sqm.
Kaufland Romania is expanding its national presence with the opening of a new hypermarket in Aiud, Alba County.
CEE economies have been delivering solid GDP growth, outpacing many Western European peers despite external trade uncertainties and recent inflationary pressures, according to Colliers' latest report.
Nepi Rockcastle has inaugurated its first photovoltaic park in Chișineu-Criș, Arad County, Romania, marking a milestone in the shopping centre developer's sustainability efforts.
Romania is positioning itself as a key retail market in Central and Eastern Europe, with developers shifting focus from large cities to smaller communities, according to a Colliers report. While large cities previously concentrated three quarters of modern retail stock, rising incomes and demand for modern formats are making communities of around 50,000 inhabitants attractive for new investment, with retail parks driving development.
Foreign direct investments (FDI) in Romania's real estate and construction sector more than tripled between 2014 and 2024, increasing by €15.1 billion to reach €21.6 billion by the end of last year. The sector's share of total FDI stock rose from 10.6% to 17.3%, according to National Bank of Romania (BNR) data analyzed by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Nhood Romania has announced a partnership with Reuben Brothers to transform the former Solventul industrial platform in Timisoara. The 45-hectare site, with a history dating back to 1869, will be converted into a primarily residential area with integrated retail, office, service, and public amenities.
The seasonally adjusted retail trade volume remained stable across the EU, with a modest 0.1% increase in the euro area compared to July 2025, according to Eurostat.
DIY retailer Hornbach is set to inaugurate its second store in Timișoara on October 1, with an investment of over €44 million.
Romanian DIY retailer Dedeman has announced its expansion into the Republic of Moldova.
M Core has started development of M Park Galați, the city's first retail park, on a 100,000 sqm plot acquired in December 2024.
Froo Romania Retail, part of Zabka Group, has opened a new Froo store in the America House office building in Bucharest's Piata Victoriei area. The lease transaction was brokered by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Romanian property developer Alezzi Group has completed the transfer of its concrete production operations to Heidelberg Materials Romania, the construction materials producers.
The Galați Court has approved the modified asset recovery plan for Liberty Galați, paving the way for the auction of one of Romania's most important industrial assets to resume.
Nuclearelectrica has completed the first continuous concrete pour for the permanent structures of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 refurbishment project. The operation used approximately 3,470 cubic metres of concrete for the foundation, equivalent to about 380 concrete mixer trucks.
Fondul Proprietatea has exercised its pre-emption right and subscribed to 5.6 million new shares in National Company Administrația Porturilor Maritime (CNAPM), investing €10.8 million to maintain its existing shareholding percentage.
Romania's central bank announced on Friday that annual inflation will rise above previously forecast levels in Q2 2026, but will experience a substantial downward correction in Q3.