Shopfully: Higher VAT rates in Romania impact consumer spending and retailers
Starting August 1, Romania's new fiscal package increased the standard VAT rate from 19% to 21%. It also merged the 5% and 9% reduced rates into a single 11% rate.
Starting August 1, Romania's new fiscal package increased the standard VAT rate from 19% to 21%. It also merged the 5% and 9% reduced rates into a single 11% rate.
Oasis Retail Development & Consulting has announced the completion of the third development phase of Prima Shopping Center, the largest retail park in the central-west region of Romania, which now covers 60,000 sqm.
The wholesale trade sector experienced an overall decline in H1 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Primark, the international fashion retailer, will open its fourth local store on September 9, located in CPI Romania's VIVO! Cluj-Napoca project.
Nepi Rockcastle, Europe's third-largest listed retail real estate company by portfolio value, reported a 12.1% year-on-year increase in net operating income (NOI) in the first half of 2025, reaching €307 million. The company's investment property portfolio exceeded €8 billion for the first time in its history, supported by acquisitions completed in 2024 and active asset management. Vacancy remained low at 1.6%.
Erste Group Bank AG has provided a €85.5 million refinancing facility for Argeş Mall in Piteşti, developed by Prime Kapital.
M Core has received approval for the Zonal Urban Plan (PUZ) for a new retail project in Lugoj.
Companies have contracted office spaces for over 7,000 new employees in the first half of 2025, with new demand totaling 64,300 sqm on the Bucharest market, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Romania's real estate market has seen sustained demand for office, retail, and industrial spaces with over 150,000 sqm of the total real estate stock occupied during H1 2025, finds a new report by CBRE Romania.
F64, the local retailer specialized in the photo and video equipment market, is expanding its partnership with VTEX to launch a new marketplace and cross-border sales operations.
Local developer Global Vision is taking its first step into the Romanian retail market with the development of Oradea Retail Plaza, a commercial project valued at €10 million.
Romania's retail market recorded over 162,000 sqm of new projects completed nationwide during H1 2025.
M Core is expanding its Romanian portfolio with a new retail development located in Bucharest.
Romania's retail market has consolidated its position as a strategic hub for international brands, attracting over 40 new retailers between 2020 and 2025, according to an analysis by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Square 7, part of M Core, is developing M Park Titan, a new proximity retail project that is slated to open in December 2025.
Elena Oancea, Co-CEO of Goldbach Group, talked to Property Forum about the group's ongoing developments in the retail parks niche, the focus on sustainability in its construction and interior design divisions and its pipeline of photovoltaic projects in Romania.
Kaufland has opened its fourth store in Pitești, expanding its national presence and reaching a network of 193 hypermarkets
Pavăl Holding, the investment vehicle of the Pavăl family and Romania's largest local entrepreneurial group, announced its strategic acquisition of Praktiker Hellas, Greece's leading DIY retail chain owned by Farifax Financial Holdings, for an undisclosed sum.
Yitzhak Hagag, Co-Founder and Chairman of Hagag Development Europe, talked to Property Forum about the company's investment pipeline north of €360 million and its ongoing developments in luxury retail, offices, residential and mixed-use projects.
Carrefour Romania has launched the country's first intelligent shopping cart system, at its Corbeanca hypermarket.

Raiffeisen Bank has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in Garanti BBVA Group Romania, including Garanti Bank and leasing unit Motoractive IFN, from subsidiaries of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria.
Etem Gestamp, the Sofia-based joint venture between Viohalco Group and Spain's Gestamp Group, has signed a 10-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Rezolv Energy, the Actis-backed independent power producer.
Electrica's Board of Directors has approved new four-year mandates for its top executive leadership following a meeting on 27 March.
JTI announced a €300 million investment to build a new factory in Ștefăneștii de Jos, Ilfov County.
Parapet, an EPC contractor in the renewable energy sector, has appointed Roxana Gureanu as CEO, as the company experiences rapid growth and international expansion.