Romanians spent roughly EUR 40 billion in large retail chains last year, representing an increase of 7.1% year-over-year. The 2024 growth rate marked a slowdown compared to 2023 (+11.1% vs. 2022) but remained above inflation, according to the Romania Retail Snapshot 2025 produced by real estate consultancy company Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Major food stores continue to account for the largest share of spending, namely EUR 24 billion, or 60.3% of the total. However, this segment only recorded a 5.2% increase in sales, below the 2024 annual inflation rate of 5.6%.
The second-largest share pertained to DIY stores (EUR 4.3 billion, 10.9%), followed by electro-IT (EUR 3.6 billion, 9.1%) and fashion (EUR 2.5 billion, 6.2%). The lowest spending was related to entertainment, which was included for the first time in the latest edition of the report.
Jewelry (EUR 237 million, 0.6%), footwear (EUR 410 million, 1%), and cosmetics (EUR 569 million, 1.4%) were also among the segments with a lower spending share in the overall shopping basket in Romania last year.
According to the same report, all retail segments recorded higher year-over-year turnovers in 2024, with the largest increases being reported by cosmetics (24%), specialized stores (20.6%), home & deco (16%), footwear (15.5%), food & beverage (14.9%), and kids & toys (13.5%).
The lowest growth rates in 2024 vs 2023 – and below inflation – were reported by entertainment (+2.1%), sports (+3.6%), DIY (+5%), and food stores (+5.2%). Notably, 9 out of the 13 analyzed segments reported sales growth above the 2024 inflation rate, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox said.
The 13 segments are food stores (major hypermarket/supermarket chains), fashion, DIY, sports, footwear, kids & toys, jewelry, home & deco, food & beverage, cosmetics, electro-IT, entertainment, and specialized stores. Together, the 123 retailers have more than 7,000 stores in Romania, located mainly in shopping centers, retail parks, and commercial galleries.
Vlad Săftoiu, Head of Research at Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, commented: “Our study illustrates a shift in Romanian consumer behavior over the past year. While spending on food and daily living remains high, a higher overall growth rate has been recorded for non-food products. This is a positive signal for the retail market, especially as most non-food segments from our study reported double-digit growth, indicating strong potential for operators looking to expand in Romania.”
According to him, developers continue to expand their retail portfolios, with around 700,000 sqm of retail spaces being in various stages of development and scheduled for delivery between 2025 and 2030.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Vlad Ispas/Dreamstime.com)
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