Three Western European retail chains debuted in Romania in 2006, a sign of the momentum being gained in the Romanian retail sector.
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According to research group PMR, international retailers are set to pour EUR700m (US$945.84m) into Romania in 2007, the largest amount to be invested in any central or Eastern European country.
The report, ‘Retailers’ strategies in Central and Eastern Europe 2007’, published by PMR, said the per capita value of foreign retailers’ investments in Poland will be around EUR15 in 2007, only half of the figure forecast for Romania or Bulgaria.
“Central Europe, especially Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, and also, to a lesser degree, Slovakia, are becoming saturated,” said Marcin Szaleniec, PMR analyst and the author of the report. “In comparison to the countries of central Europe, Romania and Bulgaria are almost virgin soil for international retailers,” Szaleniec observed.
In 2006, three Western chains debuted in Romania – the Auchan and Real hypermarkets, as well as Spar supermarkets.
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By GlobalDataOne imminent new player in another central European market is the German hard discounter Aldi, which is preparing to enter Poland and Hungary.
Meanwhile, existing retailers in central Europe are still expanding their chains and adapting their offering. Companies like Tesco and Carrefour are no longer focusing on the large-scale hypermarket format, instead turning their attention to smaller types of outlet like compact hypermarkets and supermarkets.
