All posts by tudor@cijeurope.com.

The Hillwood developer wants to buy land in Romania

The American real estate developer Hillwood, owned by billionaire Ross Perot Jr., wants to enter the industrial sector of the Romanian real estate market, for which purpose it is analyzing the purchase of some land.

The American group is analysing the Romanian market through its Hillwood Investment Properties division, which has so far developed or bought industrial/logistics properties with a cumulative area of 26.2 million sqm and whose target for this year is to start projects with an area total of about 860,000 sqm. The division’s future plans include logistics projects with an area of more than 13 million sqm.

Market sources say that Hillwood is interested in acquiring some land in Romania, which it can use to develop logistics projects. Americans are not the only ones interested in the logistic real estate sector in Romania. The GARBE entrepreneurial group, one of the largest investors in logistics and industrial spaces in Germany and Europe, is preparing to enter the Romanian real estate market, where it is already recruiting.

Source: Profit.ro

Ali Madadi to open retail park in Chitila

Businessman Ali Madadi, the owner of the car dealer Rădăcini Motors, is preparing the necessary documents for the development of a retail park, which will be built in 2025 in parallel with a new Kaufland store in place of the former UTREC Chitila factory.

The Madadi family, as the majority shareholder of the former UTREC Chitila food industry machinery factory, sold to the German retailer Kaufland, with a price of EUR 5.8 million, a 2.2-hectare land, free of construction, resulting from the dismantling of the over 3.7 hectare lot of UTREC. On the remaining piece of land, with an area of about 1.4 hectares, Madadi designed a retail park that will be called Chitila Plazza by Radacini. The project consists of 3 buildings with a cumulative area of 5,780 sqm. The opening of the park is expected for the last quarter of 2025 and will be synchronized with the opening of the adjacent Kaufland store.

“It will be a new concept of retail park focused on sustainability and with a different design compared to what we have in the market,” said Filip Todasia, the representative of Rădăcini Estate, the real estate division of the Rădăcini group.

Source: Profit.ro

Marriott will open three hotels in Romania by 2029

Marriott International hotel group will open three new hotels in Romania in the next five years, as part of a partnership with a local investor.

Courtyard by Marriott Sibiu Downtown will open in Q2 2026. The hotel will include 81 rooms, three conference rooms, as well as a restaurant and a SPA area.
Courtyard by Marriott will open in Timisoara, in 2029. near Iulius Town. The project will have 208 rooms and suites and four conference rooms.

Four Points by Sheraton by Marriott Bonvoy will open in Cluj-Napoca in 2027. The hotel will have 109 rooms and suites, various conference rooms and a restaurant.

“This agreement strengthens the demand we see for international hotel brands in the region and supports the development of Marriott Bonvoy projects in Romania,” said Silvija Lovreta, Vice President Development – Central and South Eastern Europe, Marriott International.

Leroy Merlin opens new store in Pitesti Shopping Park

The French retailer Leroy Merlin, a retailer specialized in construction, decoration and gardening, the second player on the DIY market in Romania, with a network of 21 stores nationwide, has leased 9,000 sqm within the Pitesti Shopping Park project, developed by Square 7 Properties.

“The decision to open a Leroy Merlin store in Pitesti comes as a natural response to the needs and high demand in this region. With a growing number of inhabitants and an average salary among the highest in Romania, Pitești is in the top 15 cities in the country. We have also noticed a significant interest from the residents, with over 200,000 accesses to our website in Pitesti in recent months,” says Mathieu Bauduin, CEO of Leroy Merlin Romania.

Leroy Merlin thus has 22 stores in Romania, with almost 3,500 employees in 15 cities. Recently, the retailer announced that it will also open two new stores in Bucharest.

Source: Profit.ro

Premier Energy secures financing from Libra Bank for photovoltaic park in Teleorman

Libra Internet Bank offered Da Vinci New Project, a company 100 percent owned by Alive Capital, in turn part of the Premier Energy PLC group, a financing of EUR 7.5 million for the construction of a photovoltaic park with an installed power of 23.1 MWh and a storage capacity of 4.6 MWh.

The project, with an estimated completion date in the first part of next year, will be developed in Nanov township, Teleorman county, on an area of approximately 25 hectares.

“The Da Vinci project is essential for us, as it is one of considerable scope, with positive and long-lasting effects for sustainable development. Therefore, identifying a partner like Libra Internet Bank has facilitated the process we have to follow in order to build the photovoltaic park,” said Giacomo Billi, Founder and CEO of Alive Capital.

Source: Economica.net

Lefties opens second store in Romania at Shopping City Ploiești

NEPI Rockcastle has completed the 7,400 sqm expansion of the Shopping City Ploiesti shopping center, adding 26 new commercial spaces, and among the new announced tenants are Lefties, Avon, Dr. Max, Bookcity or Hermosa.

It is the second Lefties to open locally, after the one opened in 2023 in Craiova. Two more Lefties stores are to be opened in Timișoara and Bacău.
The developer Iulius announced at the beginning of this year the opening of a Lefties store in the mixed-use project Iulius Town Timișoara, which will occupy an area of 5,000 sqm.

The businessman Ovidiu Budeanu, who owns the Arena Mall in Bacău, agreed with Lefties to open a store in this city as well.
The Lefties brand, part of the Inditex Group, present in 16 countries, entered the local market in October 2023 in Craiova, Romania being the first country in Central and Eastern Europe where the brand is present.

Source: Economica.net

McDonald’s opens new restaurant in Galati Shopping City

Premier Restaurants Romania, the operator of the McDonald’s chain of restaurants in Romania, has expanded its network by opening a new Drive-Thru unit in Galaţi, within Shopping City Galăţi. This is the second restaurant in the city.

The new unit has an area of approx. 400 sqm, with 94 seats inside and 88 on the terrace and generated over 70 jobs.

This location integrates the latest technologies for product preparation and serving, such as digital menu display screens, available both in the restaurant and at the Drive-Thru, plus ordering kiosks.

InteRo Property Development officially launched SkyLight Residence private sales

InteRo Property Development announced that private sales for its highly anticipated SkyLight Residence project have officially begun. The remarkable EUR 1 billion development, located in the Obor area of the Capital, will feature outstanding facilities such as rooftop infinity pools, public and private parks, fully equipped gyms, educational spaces, retail, and office hubs.

SkyLight Residence spans across 10-hectares offering a mixed-use project with a total built area of 486,000 sqm and almost 28,000 sqm of new green areas and parks in the neighborhood.

The project will provide upon its completion of over 2,200 apartments and 115,000 sqm of office space, including an IT campus accommodating an estimated 10,000 jobs. InteRo’s project will also include over 4,000 parking spaces and an 8,540 sqm commercial area.

Phase 1 will deliver 551 apartments within 7 buildings. As construction works will accelerate by the end of this year, the developer plans to have the first residents occupy in 2027.

Mark Twain International School doubles its newest campus space at Cosmopolis

Mark Twain International School will open one of its most spacious campuses in the Cosmopolis neighborhood.

The total area of the project will be double the size which was initially announced at the signing of the partnership. Subsequently, as opposed to 4,000 sqm of constructed space, there will be 8,000 sqm distributed across 4 levels of ultramodern buildings. Additionally, instead of 4,000 sqm of outdoor spaces, the campus will now boast 8,000 sqm for courtyards, sports fields, relaxation and play areas, a garden, and parking spaces.

“The cumulative investment of over EUR 10 million in this educational campus is proof of our shared commitment to education, values, and performance. We are pleased to offer the children of over 15,000 residents in the Cosmopolis neighborhood and those living in all nearby areas, starting from the next school year, access to premium education services, right near their homes. Mark Twain International School is already a benchmark for success and the recognition of excellence, and the Cosmopolis campus will further strengthen the northern area of the Capital as a top educational hub,” said Ozan Tuncer, CEO of Cosmopolis.

The campus will include a kindergarten, primary school, middle school, and high school, ensuring adequate coverage of all educational cycles.

Equilibrium becomes first building in Bucharest to implement digital WasteTracker system

Equilibrium, part of Skanska’s portfolio of office buildings, has become the first building in Bucharest to adopt the innovative WasteTracker system, a digital solution designed to enhance waste management and sustainability. This new system, developed in partnership with the startup WasteTracker, allows tenants to track and measure their waste output before collection, facilitating more accurate ESG reporting and promoting responsible waste management practices.

WasteTracker is a user-friendly tool specifically designed for the real estate sector. It integrates a weighing terminal, which uses employee access cards, with an analytical system to record the weight of waste produced before it is placed in building containers. Tenants have direct access to the data through the system, enabling them to monitor how much waste is generated by their operations and visualize the associated carbon footprint, categorized by waste type.

This system is designed to support tenants in refining their waste management strategies. With detailed analytics at their disposal, tenants can work with WasteTracker to identify key areas for improvement and promote best practices in waste reduction, reuse, and segregation. The WasteTracker solution represents the first such innovation in Europe and is being rolled out across seven Skanska buildings in Central and Eastern Europe, including Equilibrium in Bucharest, Wave in Gdańsk, Brama Miasta in Łódź, and multiple projects in Warsaw and Prague.

“Equilibrium is leading the way in Bucharest by introducing a digital waste monitoring system,” said Tamara Guleryuz, Leasing & Asset Manager at Skanska. “The WasteTracker system, now installed in both Equilibrium buildings, allows us to weigh and track waste before it reaches collection bins. Not only will this help with ESG reporting, but it also offers tenants valuable insights into their waste production, enabling them to take action to improve their practices and ultimately reduce our collective carbon footprint.”

This move aligns with Skanska’s broader commitment to sustainability and innovation in property management across the region.

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