Nhood: Romania leads in shopping centre entertainment compared to other European countries

Shopping centres in Romania are more frequently used as leisure destinations than in many other European countries, according to a recent analysis by Nhood Romania, a real estate services company. The findings suggest that Romanian malls outperform those in Germany, Italy, and Austria in terms of entertainment offerings, although the overall range remains limited.

The analysis covered more than 30 shopping centres in Romania. It found that despite limited diversification, Romania’s malls are better positioned in the leisure segment, largely due to local consumer behaviour. According to Bogdan Aldea, Head of Business Development at Nhood Romania, Romanian consumers are more inclined to use malls for recreation than their counterparts in more mature markets, presenting a growth opportunity for developers.

However, spending on entertainment remains relatively low. Based on data from Romania’s National Institute of Statistics (INSSE), households spent an average of 3.1% of their consumption budget on recreation, culture, and sports in 2023—about 120 RON per month. This share increases to 5.9% among households with higher incomes but still falls below levels seen in other countries: 5.1% in Spain, 7% in France, and 9% in Germany.

In terms of existing offerings, most Romanian malls include facilities like children’s play areas and arcades, present in 40–50% of centres. More specialised activities such as virtual reality attractions, bowling, laser tag, escape rooms, or trampoline parks are available in less than 10% of the analysed locations. Only 41% of shopping centres offer more than one type of entertainment.

Despite this, the presence of any form of entertainment is higher in Romanian malls (79%) than in Germany (57%) or Italy (45%). This is attributed to local consumer habits and different strategies by mall operators. In Romania, shopping centres have increasingly adapted to leisure-focused use, while other countries have been slower to respond to evolving consumer preferences.

According to Gabriela Piștalu, Head of Property & Asset Services at Nhood Romania, expanding the variety of entertainment options could improve customer retention and foot traffic. She emphasised the importance of integrating complementary attractions to support the positioning of malls as multi-purpose lifestyle destinations.

Currently, Nhood Romania manages 23 retail properties, with 7,000 square metres of entertainment space already in place and another 4,100 square metres under development.

The costs of operating a logistics space in Romania are 60% lower than in Germany

Romania is increasingly positioning itself as a strategic hub for regional distribution, attracting investor interest due to its booming market, driven by one of the fastest growth rates of online commerce in Europe.

This phenomenon amplifies the urgent need for modern logistics infrastructure, as retailers and e-commerce operators expand their distribution networks to meet consumer demand and optimize delivery times, notes an analysis conducted by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox based on the “Quo Vadis E-commerce” report.

“Our country is among the European countries with the fastest growth in online commerce, a phenomenon that determines an acute need for modern logistics infrastructure. Retailers and e-commerce operators are expanding their distribution networks to meet consumer demand and improve delivery times,” says Ştefan Surcel, head of industrial agency, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

In Romania, the operating costs of a 10,000 square meter logistics space, with 50 employees and a consumption of 480 MWh per year are 60% lower in Romania than in Germany, the report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox also shows.

Jumbo opens new store in Romania

The Greek toy and home goods retailer Jumbo continues its expansion on the Romanian market and opened its second store in Timisoara, located on Calea Şagului no. 223. The retailer is also looking for employees for several stores in the country.

Currently, Jumbo operates stores in several cities in the country, including Bucharest, Sibiu, Arad, Brașov, Constanța, Craiova, Iași, Oradea, Pitești, Ploiești and Suceava. The company’s rapid expansion is part of the brand’s strategy to expand on the local market, offering a wide range of products at affordable prices.

Jumbo is the market leader in Greece in the field of selling toys and baby products and has 86 stores open in 4 countries. Jumbo Romania currently has 20 stores.

Ion family opens 4-star hotel and has two more in development

The Ion family, which participated in the construction of over 10,000 apartments in Sector 6, is betting on the hotel market. It inaugurated a new 4-star hotel in the Cotroceni neighborhood and is working on two more.

“The 4-star Le Blanc hotel in Cotroceni has opened. There are 48 rooms and 2 apartments, a café and a restaurant for 45-50 people. Over EUR 6 million have been invested,” said Cornel Ion, owner of the real estate group Start Priority Holding.

The investor has signed a partnership with the French hotel group Accor since 2023 that foresees the opening of a Mercure hotel in a renovated building on Dimitrie Cantemir Boulevard, near the center of Bucharest. Cornel Ion says that the hotel, which will have 40 rooms, will open at the end of May.

The Ion family also has the construction of a new event hall with a total capacity of 600 people under authorization, along with a hotel with 30 rooms on Timișoara Boulevard.

Source: Profit.ro

NEPI Rockastle gets final permit for western Romania photovoltaic park

NEPI Rockastle is set to receive the establishment permit from ANRE for a 50 MW photovoltaic park in Arad County, which it bought from Monsson last year.
Solpower Energy is controlled by New Energy Management, which is in turn owned by NEPI Rockastle Green Energy.

The project has been part of Monsson’s portfolio since 2022, and in 2024 it obtained the construction permit and signed the grid connection contract. Thus, all conditions have been ensured for construction to begin in 2025, it was said at the time.

NEPI is in talks to acquire the second photovoltaic project, which will not be in the West of the country.

“It is good to have as much national dispersion as possible due to the climatic conditions in our country, where we can have areas where we can produce more. We are looking at making a mix of projects located in different areas of the country. We are mainly looking at the connection conditions, at projects that are developed correctly at a fair price and that benefit from a quick connection, that do not require reinforcement works, that have an optimal connection from a financial point of view,” says Andrei Horhoianu, Group Head of Energy at NEPI Rockcastle.

Source: economica.net

Sun 3R Green Recycling opens first photovoltaic panel recycling plant in Romania

The company Sun 3R Green Recycling has opened a photovoltaic panel and electronic board recycling plant in Lunca Câlnicului (Brașov County). It is presented as the only total photovoltaic panel recycling unit in Romania, but also in Eastern Europe, and required an investment of EUR 1.5 million.

Official statistics indicate that the number of green energy producers in Romania is growing rapidly, so that at the end of November 2024, there were 195,000 users.

Estimates for the coming years are that this figure will double, perhaps even triple, in proportion to the financial support given to those who want to become green energy producers.

Global air conditioning technology leader, AUX, enters Romanian market

AUX, a top-three air conditioning brand in China and a global leader in energy-efficient indoor climate solutions, has officially launched its operations in Romania. The official market entry was highlighted in the event organized by One Concept, AUX’s exclusive distributor in the country.

Founded in 1986 in Ningbo, China, AUX Group operates across five major industries—from home appliances and healthcare services to real estate development and financial investments.

AUX enters the Romanian market with a long-term vision anchored in innovation, digitalization, and energy efficiency. The local portfolio includes AI-powered smart-home solutions, mobile controlled systems, and HVAC technologies designed for high-performance buildings. AUX is also committed to raising industry standards by promoting adoption of EU-aligned regulations such as the F-Gas directive. This includes advocating for eco-conscious refrigerants like R290—ideal for sustainable construction and nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB).

“We’re excited to bring AUX’s advanced technologies to Romania, offering efficient, sustainable, and digitally connected solutions to the local market. Our partnership with AUX allows us to expand One Concept’s premium portfolio and play an active role in transforming the HVAC landscape in Romania. This is perfectly aligned with our philosophy of leadership in portfolio excellence, digital innovation, and shared growth with our regional partners,” said Eng. Alexandru Chirilă, General Manager and founder of One Concept Distribution.

Adrian Stoichina, Co-CEO and Partner, Prima Development Group, speaker at CEDER 2025

Adrian Stoichina will be part of the speakers formula this year at CEDER Real Estate Conference & Exhibition, to take part on 13th of May, at Radisson Blu Hotel, in Bucharest.

Adrian Stoichina is Co-CEO and Partner at Prima Development Group, a company with over 20 years of experience and 4,500+ apartments delivered across Romania. With an engineering background and a strategic mindset, Adrian has led Prima’s expansion to Bucharest and is now spearheading its evolution toward more structured, high-performance operations.

He combines sharp financial discipline with a deep commitment to client experience, quality, and architectural integrity. Under his leadership, Prima launched Prima Astera, West Bucharest’s first high-end residential development, setting a new benchmark for comfort and design in the area.

Adrian brings to CEDER a perspective shaped by executional excellence, process innovation, and long-term vision in residential development.

CEDER Conference & Exhibition will take place on 13th of May, at Radisson Blu Hotel, in Bucharest. With key property professionals gathered in a single venue, CEDER is a very powerful networking and marketing opportunity. For tickets reservations, please check our website: https://lnkd.in/dTRWhMB7

This year Romania will be honorary country to host the 10th edition of the prestigious Best of the Best Hall of Fame Awards (HOF Awards) which is the climax of the CIJ Awards series, putting the winning projects and companies from around Central & Eastern Europe against each other to determine who the Best of the Best really are. The HOF Awards will take place in the afternoon during CEDER Conference and Exhibition.

CEDER 2025 confirmed partners are: WDP, CPI Property Group, AFI Europe, Revetas, Speedwell, Hagag Development Europe, Paval Holding, NEPI Rockcastle, IULIUS Group, Filip & Company, WIREN, EVO Properties, NHOOD, Anchor Grup, NNDKP, VASTINT, RRG Real Estate Group, Popovici, Nitu, Stoica & Asociatii, Crosspoint Real Estate, Stratulat Albulescu Attorney at Law, KUZIINI, Lion’s Head, Alesonor, Coral Construct, COS, Carbon Tool, Theta Furniture & More, The Concept Group, RENOMIA Gallagher, Optim Project Management, WEMAT, Tiriac Imobiliare, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, Brisk Group, Safety Approach, Prima Development Group, ALUKÖNIGSTAHL, Imobiliare.ro, DRS Architects, Notarial Office EQUITY, Miss Green.

Bailiff puts N. Macedonia’s Soravia up for sale

Bailiff is auctioning shopping and office mall operator Soravia Invest in North Macedonia’s Skopje, with a starting price at EUR 22.4 million euro, according to North Macedonia’s Chamber of Bailiffs.

The public auction will take place on April 24, according to a notice published on the website of the chamber.

The sale was made at the request of Bulgaria’s First Investment Bank over an outstanding debt of EUR 930,425.

Layher develops its own warehouse and offices in Romania

The scaffolding manufacturer Layher, one of the largest family businesses in Germany, is preparing to develop its own warehouse and offices in Romania, where it will move its current activities in rented spaces in Bucharest and Cluj.

Layher also entered Romania last year with the group’s real estate division, through which it purchased a plot of land with an area of 10,000 square meters in Otopeni. On the purchased land, Layher wants to build a warehouse and offices with an area of about 2,000 square meters and a concrete platform with an area of about 4,800 square meters for storing metal scaffolding.

In the warehouse, on an area of about 350 square meters, a showroom will be set up, where the different types of scaffolding produced in Germany will be exhibited.
“The total investment value is estimated at EUR 3.5 million, including the value of the land acquisition for construction. Once the project is completed, Layher Schele, currently located at 459 Şoseaua Odăii, Sector 1, will move to this location,” said Veronica Țăranu, general manager of Layher Schele.