Approximately 28% of publicly announced leasing transactions in the first half of 2026 involved manufacturing space, almost double last year\u2019s share and well above the typical 10-15% range, according to Colliers\u2019 report on the real estate market\u2019s performance in the first half of the year. At the same time, around two-thirds of demand came from new leases or relocations from less competitive premises.<\/p>\n
Overall, publicly announced transactions reached approximately 340,000 square meters, around 20% below the level recorded in the first half of last year, but 47% above the average for the same period in 2017-2019.<\/p>\n
The figures show that Romania is gaining ground in manufacturing, as a growing number of companies consider the country for manufacturing operations and nearshoring, according to Colliers analysts. The company\u2019s data includes only transactions for which information is publicly available, while a significant proportion of direct agreements between landlords and occupiers, whether new leases or renewals, are not publicly announced, meaning that the actual level of activity may be higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cManufacturing is gaining increasing traction; we are seeing recurring requirements that were simply not present a few years ago, as well as growing interest from Asian manufacturers, particularly Chinese companies, which are assessing Romania as a nearshoring base for the European market. This is particularly important for the industrial and logistics market, as manufacturing companies tend to be more stable occupiers and remain in their premises for longer,\u201d explained Victor Co\u0219conel, Partner | Head of Leasing | Office & Industrial Agencies at Colliers.<\/p>\n
Relevant transactions in Romania in the first half of the year included Iron Mountain\u2019s 28,000-square-meter lease renewal in Bucharest, Autonet\u2019s 26,000-square-meter renewal, also in Bucharest, a new 15,000- square-meter lease signed by Siemens for a factory in Sibiu, as well as two new manufacturing facilities of more than 20,000 square meters, one near Bucharest and the other in Ploie\u0219ti.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese transactions confirm sustained interest in industrial and logistics space and come against a backdrop in which Romania continues to retain its competitive advantages for such activities,\u201d Colliers analysts stated.<\/p>\n
Romania\u2019s logistics market contributes positively to the national economy. According to data analysed by Colliers, for every euro spent on labour in transportation and storage, Romania generates approximately EUR 2.7 in added value, compared with around EUR 1.7 across the European Union. Labour market data reinforces this advantage further. In July 2026, none of the Romanian companies surveyed by the European Commission in the warehousing and transport support activities sector cited a lack of workers as a factor limiting their activity, compared with 21% in the euro area, 49% in Poland and 38% in Hungary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Romania is also well positioned to attract new manufacturing investment: a 2026 Colliers analysis shows that 9 out of 10 Romanian counties rank among Europe\u2019s most competitive locations for manufacturers, alongside regions primarily in Poland, France and Spain.<\/p>\n
Another important advantage is infrastructure, which is playing an increasingly significant role in companies\u2019 location decisions. Bucharest\u2019s A0 motorway is improving the attractiveness of areas that until recently were considered secondary locations, including the north of the capital around Buftea, as well as the east and south.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Romania had more than 1,400 kilometers of high-speed roads at the beginning of 2026, compared with around 900 kilometers before the pandemic, while more than 1,000 kilometers are currently at various stages of construction. Over the next five to seven years, the network could exceed 2,500 kilometers.<\/p>\n
As infrastructure expands and companies\u2019 requirements become more diverse, the supply of industrial and logistics space also continues to grow. Modern stock reached almost 8.3 million square meters by mid-year, after surpassing the 8 million-square-metre threshold, with most new deliveries concentrated in Bucharest. A further approximately 500,000 square meters could be added over the next two to three quarters. At the same time, competition between developers is intensifying: CTP and WDP remain the market leaders, while VGP, Element Industrial, Logicor and Industra Parks are accelerating their development pipelines, and Lion\u2019s Head, Garbe Industrial\/Fortress and Hillwood are preparing their first local projects.<\/p>\n
For the remainder of the year, Colliers consultants expect demand to be lower than in the recent record years, while remaining at a healthy level compared with the 2015-2019 period. Over the medium and long term, the outlook remains positive, supported by competitive costs, productivity, infrastructure investment, full Schengen accession and the shortage of modern space relative to population and consumption levels. In Colliers\u2019 view, the industrial and logistics market remains one of the Romanian real estate sectors with the strongest development potential.<\/p>\n
radu@romania-insider.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n (Photo source:\u00a0Ken Pilon<\/a>|Dreamstime.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Approximately 28% of publicly announced leasing transactions in the first half of 2026 involved manufacturing space, almost double last year\u2019s share and well above the typical 10-15% range, according to Colliers\u2019 report on the real estate market\u2019s performance in the first half of the year. At the same time, around two-thirds of demand came from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11614\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}