Companies have leased close to 550,000 sqm of industrial and logistics spaces across Romania in the first half of 2023, with more than one third of the volume represented by pre-lease agreements, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Four new retail projects with a combined leasable area of 30,000 sqm have been delivered in four smaller Romanian cities in the first half of 2023. Giurgiu, Călărași, Dej and Vaslui are the cities which benefited from these new investments, while the new supply will be significantly more substantial in the second half of the year, when almost 260,000 sqm of retail spaces are due to be completed, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

Logistics operators accounted for approximately 50% of the Q1 2023 demand for industrial spaces in Romania which totaled 330,000 sqm, up 10% year-on-year, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

The occupancy of Bucharest hotels increased by 33% in the first quarter compared with the same period of last year, and remains about 5% below the 2019 level, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

E-commerce player eMAG has leased 10,000 sqm in Globalworth Square in Bucharest for its new HQ in one of the largest office leasing deals closed in the year to date.  

The Center - West area (Politehnica, Orhideea, Cotroceni) has become the largest office hub in Bucharest, overtaking the Floreasca – Barbu Văcărescu submarket in Q1 2023, according to research by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. This area is set to maintain its leading position in the medium term, considering the current development pipeline in the city. 

Romanian investors have made real estate acquisitions worth €1.1 billion in the last 5 years, having a share of 28% in the investment volume recorded in this period, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

The developers of Belvedere Residence in northern Bucharest sold the commercial gallery on the ground floor of the residential buildings within the complex to a private investor for an undisclosed sum. 

The average office fit-out costs in Romania rose by around 20-30% in 2022 due to a combination of supply chain pressures and higher materials’ costs, which saw companies paying an average of €820 per sqm of office space, according to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

The 4-star K+K Elisabeta hotel located in the Bucharest city center has been sold to Lorand and Zsuzsanna Szarvadi, the owners of the Balvanyos Resort & Spa in Covasna for an undisclosed sum.