Romania's retail market recorded over 162,000 sqm of new projects completed nationwide during H1 2025.
The total modern retail stock has reached 4.73 million sqm, with the Centre-West region (Transylvania and Banat) now holding the largest share. This area accounts for approximately 1.6 million sqm, or 33% of the national total, surpassing Bucharest-Ilfov, which has 1.3 million sqm (28%).
New project deliveries saw a more than 60% increase compared to the same period last year. Key projects delivered in this period include Mall Moldova in Iași (125,700 sqm) and the expansion of Iulius Mall in Suceava (16,500 sqm).
The Centre-West region's retail stock is 17% higher than Bucharest's and more than double that of the Moldova region, which has around 735,000 sqm. The South region, excluding Bucharest-Ilfov, has a cumulative area of 1.1 million sqm.
Dana Radoveneanu, Head of Retail Agency at Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, said: “The Romanian retail market is undergoing a period of accelerated expansion, stimulated by developers' desire to expand their portfolios and the low density of spaces in many secondary and tertiary cities.”
Nationally, retail space density has increased to 248 sqm per 1,000 inhabitants, a figure that remains among the lowest in Europe. Pitești leads the country in commercial space density, with 1,510 sqm per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Suceava (1,471 sqm) and Deva (1,252 sqm). Timișoara is the top-ranked primary city with a density of 1,089 sqm per 1,000 inhabitants.
While monthly rents for shopping centres have remained stable at €50-€90 per sqm, significant increases have been observed for high street spaces on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, now rated at €70 per sqm.
Looking ahead, more than 700,000 sqm of projects are expected to be completed by the end of the decade. The Centre-West region, with projects in Cluj-Napoca and Reșița, is set to receive about 60% of these new deliveries, while the East region (Bacău and Galați) will attract 16%.
