Romania's banking sector has a relatively low exposure to the commercial real estate (CRE) market, indicating stability and significant growth potential, according to an analysis by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

Companies in IT, manufacturing, industry, and the medical and pharmaceutical sectors were the most active in Romania's office rental market over the past five years, generating over half of the demand for new space.

Western European investors have been the most active buyers of real estate assets in Romania over the past five years, making placements of €1.75 billion, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

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. 

This year marks a crucial stage for the European real estate market, which is undergoing a process of recovery and transformation. Favourable economic factors, such as stabilized inflation, reduced interest rates and increasing real incomes are strengthening this sector as a key pillar of the continental economy, according to a Cushman & Wakefield Echinox analysis.