logistics

BREC OMNICHANNEL CONFERENCE: Retail and Logistics Deliveries Exceed 330,000 sqm for Q1-Q3 25
BREC OMNICHANNEL CONFERENCE: Retail and Logistics Deliveries Exceed 330,000 sqm for Q1-Q3 25 901 600 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

Retail and logistics deliveries totalled 339,600 sqm in the first three quarters of 2025, according to data presented by iO Partners during the Omnichannel Conference held  in Bucharest.

In the retail market, total deliveries reached 148,000 sqm in the first nine months. The largest projects were Mall Moldova in Iași (62,000 sqm, extension), Agora Mall in Arad (36,000 sqm, reopening after renovation), and Iulius Mall Suceava (14,500 sqm, extension).

Romania continues to attract new international brands in fashion, sports, and fast food, despite a period of cautious consumer spending. Recent market entries include Wendy’s, Funky Buddha, Sports Direct, and Action.

The retail portfolio of CPI Romania, comprising 250,000 sqm across Bucharest, Constanța, Cluj-Napoca, Pitești, Baia Mare, Iași, and Botoșani, continues to perform strongly with an occupancy rate of 98%. This result reflects the owner’s strategic investments in modernizing the shopping centres and attracting leading international brands. In September, Primark opened a new 5,000 sqm store at VIVO! Cluj-Napoca, with a 3,700 sqm retail area spread over two floors.

In Bucharest, Calea Victoriei has become over the years the city’s luxury retail hotspot, home to brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, and Max Mara. A milestone for the area’s development will be the opening of H Știrbei Palace, owned by Hagag Development Europe, scheduled for the end of this year. The investor will launch Romania’s first department store, featuring collections from Dior, Saint Laurent, Valentino Garavani, Celine, Loewe, Dolce & Gabbana, Santoni, Roger Vivier, Amina Muaddi, Rene Caovilla, Jimmy Choo, Moncler, and other prestigious brands.

Prime retail rents are on an upward trend, driven by strong demand and low vacancy rates. In Bucharest, rents have reached €85/sqm/month, while in Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, and Iași, they range between €55–65/sqm/month. The stock of modern retail spaces currently stands at 1,253,000 sqm in Bucharest, 240,000 sqm in Timișoara, 237,000 sqm in Iași, and 158,000 sqm in Cluj-Napoca.

In the logistics and industrial parks sector, total deliveries reached 191,600 sqm in the first nine months of the year. The Top 10 leasing transactions accounted for 284,800 sqm, with 41% of tenants coming from the retail and consumer goods industries.

VGP’s Romanian portfolio has surpassed 420,000 sqm of gross lettable area this year, with properties in Bucharest, Brașov, Sibiu, Timișoara, and Arad. One of the year’s highlights was the opening of VAT Group’s global production center in Arad—the company’s third facility worldwide, after Switzerland and Malaysia. VGP currently has 160,000 sqm under development, scheduled for completion in Q1 2026, when the Romanian portfolio will exceed 600,000 sqm.

Logicor is a leading owner, manager, and developer of European logistics real estate. Its portfolio spans over 19 million sqm of warehouse space in key transportation hubs and near major population centres, supporting over 2,200 customers. The company’s strategy focuses on expanding its presence in high-demand and strategic European markets. In Romania, this means a continued emphasis on Bucharest, where it holds the largest footprint, with over 250,000 sqm of a total portfolio exceeding 330,000 sqm of Class A warehouse space. The total value of its current portfolio in Romania exceeds EUR 220 million.

Nearshoring becomes a reality: production increases in logistics & industrial activity
Nearshoring becomes a reality: production increases in logistics & industrial activity 900 600 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

16.10.2023

Bucharest is slowing its logistics development activity, with a share of 27% of the 233,000 sqm delivered in the first half of the year, while 73% goes to regional centers, as shown by CBRE Romania data presented at the OMNICHANNEL CONFERENCE recently organized by BREC & PRC.

“A total of 560,400 sqm were traded in the first half of the year, of which 2% were warehousing, 55% logistics, 21% manufacturing and 22% other activities. “The share of production activity in total rental transactions increased from 9% in the first half of 2022 to 21% in the same period of the current year. In addition, the logistics segment stagnated, while warehousing and other I&L segments declined. Nearshoring is here and you can see it in the numbers,” explained Daniel Cateliu, Director, Industrial & Logistics, CBRE Romania.

“This year we noticed the trend of compliance with fire prevention rules and, consequently, the increase in demand from tenants who were operating in old and non-compliant premises. By the end of the year, we will have a 0% vacancy rate on all VGP stock in Romania”, explained Dana Bordei, Commercial Country Manager, VGP Romania. The Belgian investor has a new project in the works in the A2 area. “We see a lot of potential in the A2 area, in terms of traffic but also for the labor pool in the area”, explained Dana Bordei.

During the pandemic, the e-commerce sector experienced accelerated growth, which moderated. “We expect the e-commerce market to reach the level of 7 billion Euros this year, but everything depends on Black Friday, the most important annual event in this sector. We expect the longest Black Friday this year, with promotions that will last two weeks”, explained Raluca Radu, Country Manager, Answear, adding: “In Romania, the e-commerce market represents 10% of the total trade, while in Poland the share is 20% and in the UK 30%. The growth potential is still there.”

Globalworth’s logistics portfolio has exceeded 400,000 sqm. “In June 2023, Globalworth’s industrial portfolio had an occupancy rate of over 90%, given that, in the last 18 months, we delivered 123,000 sqm. Banks are open to financing sustainable and energy-efficient projects,” said Oana Cojocaru, Sustainability Director at Globalworth.

“At Buftea we have already developed 120,000 sqm, of which 50,000 sqm were sold to Fortress. Our strategy is to continue the development of the hub and we are confident that by completing the works on the new A0 belt of Bucharest, the weight of the logistics poles in the capital area will change substantially”, explained Andrei Jerca, Managing Director, ELI Parks, adding: “Outside of Bucharest last year we started the first construction site in Ploiesti and this year we are continuing the second one. Our development direction is also heading towards the Moldova area, also encouraged by the improvement of the infrastructure, where we already have two projects in execution in Bacău with a total area of 45,000 sqm, and our strategy provides to open another new city”.

The managers present at the conference mentioned that in order to attract greater investments in production capacities, in addition to completing major infrastructure projects, Romania needs massive investments in increasing the capacity of utility networks (electricity, gas).

Another trend discussed at the conference is the need for new mixed-use real estate products that combine retail parks and last-mile logistics developments.

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