NEPI Rockcastle, the largest owner of shopping centres in CEE, said its net operating income rose 11.2% year-on-year to a record €618 million in 2025, while the distributable earnings increased 6.7% to €441 million.
In a video interview recorded at CEE Property Forum 2025 in Vienna, Marek Noetzel, COO of NEPI Rockcastle and incoming CEO from April 2026, shares his outlook on retail trade across the region, the company's growth strategy and his priorities for the next phase of leadership.
Retail developers continue to accelerate expansion plans across Romania, with projects totalling more than 750,000 sqm currently in construction and planning stages for delivery until 2029, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Office development activity in Bucharest accelerated over the past year, with the volume of projects currently under construction exceeding 200,000 sqm of gross leasable area, the highest level since 2021. At least eight new office buildings are expected to be delivered by the end of 2028, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Nepi Rockcastle has appointed Marius Barbu as COO, effective from April 2026, to succeed Marek Noetzel, current COO and CEO-designate. He has also been nominated as a Board Director and will stand for election at the next AGM in May 2026.
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.
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.
Nepi Rockcastle successfully issued a €500 million green bond that was eightfold oversubscribed, with an orderbook exceeding €4 billion from over 200 international investors.
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%.
NEPI Rockcastle has fully sold all 254 apartments at Vulcan Residence, its first residential project in Bucharest, which was developed with a total investment of approximately €25 million.
NEPI Rockcastle a new 54.1 MW greenfield photovoltaic park in Chișineu-Criș, Arad County, as part of an investment program worth €110 million.
NE Property BV, part of the NEPI Rockcastle Group, has obtained a €190 million sustainability-linked revolving credit facility from a banking consortium in Romania.
NEPI Rockcastle, the largest owner of shopping centers in Romania, aims to cover its electricity consumption exclusively from renewable sources by the end of 2026.
The shopping center, with a total lettable area of more than 88,400 sqm, occupies a dominant position in Katowice.
The disposable income gap between CEE economies, which are enjoying solid economic expansion, and stagnating Western European countries is narrowing fast. This is buoying consumer spending in markets like Poland and Romania and attracting international and regional retailers to large modern shopping centres that dominate the CEE's shopping and experience landscapes, while also offering higher margins and lower costs, NEPI Rockcastle's latest research concludes.
Property group NEPI Rockcastle has purchased a photovoltaic project in Arad County, Western Romania and plans to start its construction in early 2025.
NEPI Rockcastle has completed the expansion works for the Shopping City Ploiești project.
The project, located in Bucharest's 13 Septembrie area, has already been 80% sold, reflecting increased buyer confidence and interest.
Hidroelectrica has completed the procurement procedure for seven 216 MVA, 15.75/242 kV transformers, equipment necessary for safe operation and continued modernisation of the Porțile de Fier I Hydroelectric Power Plant.
The Romanian Government has officially declared a crisis state on the crude oil and petroleum products market, effective from 1 April 2026 until 30 June 2026.
Eight months after Romania liberalised intercounty transport, FlixBus reports over 600,000 passengers have used its national and international routes, with more than 300,000 travelling domestically between July 2025 and February 2026.
Verne, Pony.ai and Uber Technologies have announced a partnership to launch Europe's first commercial robotaxi service, beginning in Zagreb with initial deployment work already underway, including public-road validation.
Romanian national carrier Tarom and Condor Airlines have launched a commercial codeshare partnership, expanding Bucharest's transatlantic connectivity through Frankfurt hub.