Local retail chain operator La Cocoș has opened its fourth hypermarket in Brașov. The company has leased 10,000 sqm for the new unit in the Brintex complex, in a deal brokered by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Falling interest rates and higher incomes of Romanians coupled with increasing attractiveness of residential renting will drive the home affordability index, according to research by the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association (EECFA).

Romanian property company Impact Developer & Contractor said its net profit amounted to 39.9 million lei (around €7 million) in 2023, down by more than 59% versus 2022 over lower revenue from residential sales.

Repaco Capital has started the construction of Crevedia Retail Park that will be completed in H2 2024 near Bucharest following an investment of €15 million. The project has a leasable area of 12,000 sqm and has already reached an occupancy rate of 80%.

Lion’s Head Investments, the commercial real estate investor owned by Old Mutual Property and AG Capital, has secured €150 million in fresh funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group.

The occupancy rate in Bucharest’s hotel market was up 5% in 2023 compared to the previous year, but it remains around 10% under 2019. However, average revenue per room was up 12%, which is higher than in pre-pandemic times, according to a Cushman & Wakefield Echinox report.

Hungarian construction company Kesz Group has expanded in the Romanian residential segment and will start its first housing project in northern Bucharest. Following this move, the group will act as a construction and developer player on the local market.

Romanian developer One United Properties recorded a net profit of €89.6 million in 2023, up 8% year-on-year, while its turnover rose by 30% to €306.6 million over higher residential sales and rent income.

Residential transactions in Bucharest fell by 17% in 2023 versus the previous year, while in neighbouring Ilfov County the volume of deals rose by 6% over smaller prices of homes, according to a iO Partners report.

Romania’s retail stock is set to expand by around 90,000 sqm in 2024, of which more than half will be based in Pitești-based Argeș Mall. However, the development pipeline is strong for the 2025-2028 period, with a few large and dominant shopping centres expected to add several hundred thousands of leasable space to the local market, according to Colliers data.