Romania's industrial and logistics sector saw a 27% rise in new supply in 2024, with 572,000 sqm of new spaces completed. The total stock now stands at almost 7.6 million sqm, and over 200,000 sqm are currently under development. according to research by Cushman & Wakefield Exhinox.
Vlad Săftoiu, Head of Research Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, talked to Property Forum about the demand trends in the Romanian office market and the outlook for industrial and retail investments in 2025.
Lion's Head Investments announced its entry into the Romanian logistics market by acquiring a 15.5-ha land plot in Popești Leordeni, in the south of Bucharest.
M Core Group has purchased seven strip malls in Romania from property investor MAS for an undisclosed sum. The projects with a combined leasable area of around 32,000 sqm have a full occupancy rate. The strip malls are based in Slobozia, Focșani, Râmnicu Sărat, Târgu Secuiesc, Sebeș, Făgăraș and Gheorgheni.
New retail projects with a combined leasable area of around 180,000 sqm were completed in Romania during 2024, down by around 15% versus 2023, with retail parks accounting for the biggest share of deliveries, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
DIY retailer Leroy Merlin has leased around 11,000 sqm for a new store that will open in Iași-based Mall Moldova during H1 2025.
Investors view the logistics sector with optimism and, to a lesser extent, retail over the next 12 months, according to a Cushman & Wakefield Echinox study conducted among the most important investors and developers in Romania.
The demand for logistics and industrial spaces reached 575,000 sqm during the first 9 months of 2024, down 20% compared with the same period of 2023, according to a Cushman & Wakefield Echinox report.
Pharmacy chain operator Dr.Max has leased 11,800 sqm in ELI Park Iași in a bid to accommodate growing operations.
NewCold, specialized in automated and cold chain international logistics, has entered the Romanian market through a 9-hectare land plot acquisition from WDP in northern Bucharest, for an undisclosed sum. The land is located close to the new A0 ring road of Bucharest.
AFI Europe has purchased the myhive Victoriei building in central Bucharest from Immofinanz for around €27 million. The new owner plans to turn the existing office building into a mixed-use project, with the conversion permit already secured.
Romania's commercial property sector recorded investment transactions of €418 million in H1 2024, up 131% year-on-year, marking the biggest volume growth across CEE, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
With 138 deal announcements in 2024, Romania has seen a 6% increase in deal volume from the previous year.
MOL Group's profit before tax (PBT) down by 23% year on year almost entirely due to external environmental impacts,
The company currently has a market share of between 7% and 15% in certain product segments, with a target of 3% growth over the next two years.
Romania, the main strategic partner of the Republic of Moldova – Reconfirmation by the visit of Prime Minister Dorin Recean to Terra Impex in the Vulcănești Free Economic Zone.
The transaction is financed through the NextGenerationEU program, with the financial support of the Government of Romania and the Government of Bulgaria, through the PNRR.