Romania's retail market has consolidated its position as a strategic hub for international brands, attracting over 40 new retailers between 2020 and 2025, according to an analysis by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

Square 7, part of M Core, is developing M Park Titan, a new proximity retail project that is slated to open in December 2025.

Monia Dobrescu, Partner at Muşat & Asociații, talked to Property Forum about the key role of ESG in investment decisions, the stronger financing requirements for property developments and the strong points of retail in driving investments in 2025. 

Elena Oancea, Co-CEO of Goldbach Group, talked to Property Forum about the group’s ongoing developments in the retail parks niche, the focus on sustainability in its construction and interior design divisions and its pipeline of photovoltaic projects in Romania.

Malaysian home and DIY discount retailer MR.DIY is continuing its expansion in Poland, with four new stores opening this summer in Warsaw: Galeria Wileńska, CH Blue City, CH Zielony Targówek and Galeria Młociny. The company has also announced plans to use Poland as a logistics hub for further expansion across Central Europe.

Pavăl Holding, the investment vehicle of the Pavăl family and Romania's largest local entrepreneurial group, announced its strategic acquisition of Praktiker Hellas, Greece's leading DIY retail chain owned by Farifax Financial Holdings, for an undisclosed sum.

Scallier has secured exclusive rights to commercialise five new retail parks in Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Ruda Śląska, Zabrze, and Darłowo. Construction is scheduled to begin between late 2025 and early 2026, with openings planned for the first half of 2027. The projects will offer a combined leasable area of over 40,000 sqm.

PKB Inwest Budowa is moving forward with the construction and leasing of a new retail park in Zawiercie, Silesia. The project, covering 16,000 sqm, is set for completion by the end of Q1 2026. Located on Wojska Polskiego Street, the development aims to serve residents of Zawiercie and surrounding towns, with a total catchment area of approximately 250,000 people within a 30-minute drive.

Construction has started on Andersa Retail Park in Gliwice, located at the intersection of Andersa and Okulickiego streets. The two-storey retail park will offer over 4,900 sqm of space and is already mostly leased. Confirmed tenants include Sinsay, Żabka, Rossmann, Fabryka Formy, and Kaufland as the grocery anchor. The complex will also feature a fitness club operated by a nationwide chain. Customers will have access to a shared parking lot with 278 spaces, and the surrounding area is further supported by nearby Lidl and Biedronka stores.

Redkom Development is commercialising a new retail park in Białystok. The scheme will provide approximately 14,000 sqm of leasable area and host around 25 retail and service units. A key anchor tenant will be Biedronka, whose 1,200 sqm supermarket is expected to attract strong daily footfall.