retail

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.

2023 will mark a new record in terms of new supply of retail premises
2023 will mark a new record in terms of new supply of retail premises 923 600 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

12.10.2023

The retail market is heading for a new record year in terms of retail space deliveries, with performances over 2022 for both shopping centres and retail parks, show the conclusions of the “OMNICHANNEL CONFERENCE – The Era of Responsible Development” event organized yesterday by Bucharest Real Estate Club and Romania Property Club.

“70,000 sqm of retail space were delivered in the first three quarters of this year, with 230,000 sqm scheduled for delivery by the end of the year. For this new stock, shopping centres have a dominant share of 60%, with the remaining 40% being retail parks,” said Dana Radoveneanu, Head of Retail, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. It mentioned that another 400,000 sqm are in various phases of development, with expected delivery by 2025.

For Bucharest, the main projects under development are the expansion of the Promenada mall and the IMGB Value Center. The largest project under construction in the country is Prima Shops Sibiu by Oasis, other cities that attract retail investment being Cluj-Napoca (the new Iulius project), Brașov, Iași, Sibiu, Arad, Pitesti and Bacău.

“The food segment experienced the biggest transformation after the pandemic years. From our data we see increases of up to 50% in the food court area in 2023 compared to 2019. Flows have changed, delivery people have appeared and we are also analysing the opportunity to have dedicated delivery areas in the new projects we are developing ”, said Sebastian Mahu, Head of Asset Management, Iulius during the event.

“Internationally, the trend is towards immersive experiences where art merges with technology, attracting both children and adults. Such a concept was opened in the Northern area of Bucharest”, said Dana Radoveanuanu regarding the new entertainment concepts that are making their way on the local market.

Cătălin Pozdarie, General Manager, Hervis pointed out the change in consumer behaviour. “After people faced the reality of death during the pandemic years, they spent more on vacations and this fact is affecting retailers in the middle consumer area, as is Hervis. The Romanian market has become extremely competitive, combined with inflationary pressure, which leads to a difficult environment. We’ll see who survives and who doesn’t.”

16 new brands entered the Romanian market between 2002 and 2023: Primark, Half Price, Modivo, Lefties, InStreet, Wittchen, Crocs, Jimmy Key, Popeyes, Poke House, Submarine, Bath & Body Works, Tedi, Fressnapf and Pikito . With 16 entries, Romania ranks second in the CEE area after the Czech Republic – 38, ahead of Poland – 13, Slovakia – 8, Bulgaria – 6 and Hungary – 5, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox data.

In addition to the inaugurations in Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, Teilor announced a new concept at the BREC conference. “We are working on a new “DAR” concept aimed at generation Z, next year we will open two stores”, explained Lilian Furtună, Global Expansion Director, Teilor. The company has reached a number of 70 stores, of which 53 are in Romania.

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