02. August 2012     Print Print 

Modern retail stock in Romania increased by 24%

DTZ Echinox has published today, July 30 2012, a comparative study regarding the retail spaces stock in Romania and CEE. According to the study’s results, the retail space deliveries in 2011 and the partial results of the census have brought a 24% increase of commercial stock per a thousand inhabitants. The retail stock has increased from 64 sq m per 1000 inhabitants at the end of 2010, to 84 sq m, in the first half of 2012.


There is some disparity between the main cities in Romania. Suceava remains the city with the highest stock of retail spaces, with 736 sq m per 1000 inhabitants, 10 times higher than the country’s stock average and more than twice above the capital’s average of 307 sq m. The second place in the ranking is Arad, followed by Constanta and Iasi, the latter having presently five modern commercial centres: Palas Mall, Iulius Mall, Felicia Shopping Center, Moldova Mall, Era Shopping Park (commercial gallery), with about 366 sq m per 1000 inhabitants.

Modern retail stock in the county capitals
City Population    Stock shopping Centre (sq m) Number of shopping centres ...floorspace per ‘000 inhabitants (sq m)
Suceava91.03067.0143736
Arad 144.48471.9353498
Constanta297.703117.2304394
Iasi 297.541108.8005366
Oradea184.86163.8753346
Cluj - Napoca 314.513101.0002321
Pitesti151.68246.8703309
Bucharest 1.628.426499.83014307
Buzau111.58432.0002287
Piatra Neamt 87.73924.2522276
Sibiu134.82836.0001267
Baia Mare 120.27030.0001249
Timisoara301.76174.0002245
Bacau 148.02135.5002240
Focsani73.11117.5001239
Brasov 243.41652.1986214
Alba Iulia 61.04513.0001213
Ramnicu Valcea 98.66818.3652186
Craiova246.60544.0001178
Targu Mures 131.75322.0002167
Deva57.5659.0001156
Ploiesti 201.22625.0001124
Vaslui 55.5036.7551122
Drobeta Turnu Severin 88.75810.7351121
Braila176.00421.2001120


At the bottom of the ranking, there are cities like Drobeta Turnu Severin, Braila, Botosani, Tulcea and Giurgiu, with retail space stocks around 100 sq m per 1000 inhabitants, while other 13 county capitals do not have any modern commercial center. Among the cities with low or inexistent retail stock, new retail projects will delivered in the next years, in only three cities e.g. Drobeta Turnu Severin (an extension of Severin Shopping Centre), Galati (Galleria and Euromall), and Satu Mare, where the Real4You will build a new MagaMall project.

County capitals with a non-existent shopping centres stock
No. City Population (inhabitants)
1Galati241.776
2 Satu Mare97.753
3Targu Jiu81.163
4 Targoviste77.800
5Bistrita77.051
6 Resita72.856
7Slatina64.608
8 Calarasi57.129
9Zalau56.838
10 Sfantu Gheorghe56.094
11Slobozia46.216
12 Alexandria44.259
13Miercurea Ciuc37.013


In 2012, retail stock in Europe has risen by approximately 27% compared with the end of 2010, reaching an average of 326 mp per thousand inhabitants. The average retail stock of Romania is two or even three times below the one of the countries in the region, which have values between 124 and 219 sq m per thousandinhabitants. As per the capital cities, the lowest stock is registered by Kiev, with 256 sq m even though the weighted average of Ukraine is above the one of all the countries in CEE. Warsaw, Prague and Budapest have average retail stocks per thousand of inhabitants, above Bucharest, the first two capitals being more than 100% higher than 307 sq m per thousand inhabitants registered in the capital of Romania.

Shopping centres stock in CEE countries
Romania    Czech Republic Poland Hungary Ukraine Europe
Population 2011 (per ‘000 inhabitants)19,60010,52038,2009,98945,644502,711
No of shopping centres in operation 6288370431215.128
Total modern shopping centres stock (sq m)1,649,4652,116,189 8,140,000  1,240,000  1,755,600  117,383,310  
Total modern shopping centres stock per ‘000 inhabitants (sq m) 84201213124219326


The significant differences between retail stocks in the big cities of Romania, demonstrate the focus of the developers towards the main 10 cities, which, through location and easy access, also attract buyers living in the adjacent zones.

„The major variances between countries in the region show the Romanian market potential, but we also have to consider that the incomes of the population are much below the region’s average. Consequently, –there is potential within the cities with a non-existent or low stock of modern retail spaces. The shopping centre developers are presently targeting locations for future projects, more carefully than before the crisis, and the decisions are taken only after reaching the certainty that there is an actual demand to be fulfilled”, declared Razvan Sin, Head of Retail Department at DTZ Echinox.