Romanians spend €40 billion in large retail chains in 2024, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox reports

Romanians spent around €40 billion in major retail chains in 2024, representing an increase of 7.1% compared to 2023, according to the latest Romania Retail Snapshot from real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. Although growth slowed compared to the previous year’s rate of 11.1%, the expansion remained above the annual inflation rate. The analysis is based on financial results from 123 retailers across 13 different retail segments.

Food stores continued to account for the largest share of spending, totaling €24 billion or 60.3% of overall sales. However, this segment recorded a 5.2% increase in sales, which was below the 2024 annual inflation rate of 5.6%.

DIY stores represented the second-largest share, with sales of €4.3 billion, followed by the Electro-IT segment with €3.6 billion and the Fashion sector with €2.5 billion. Entertainment, included in the report for the first time, recorded the lowest spending among the analyzed sectors.

Other segments with lower overall spending included Jewelry at €237 million, Footwear at €410 million, and Cosmetics at €569 million.

Despite variations in growth rates, all retail segments posted higher turnover in 2024 compared with the previous year. The strongest increases were observed in Cosmetics, which grew by 24%, followed by Specialized Stores with a rise of 20.6%, Home & Deco at 16%, Footwear at 15.5%, Food & Beverage at 14.9%, and Kids & Toys at 13.5%.

Segments with lower growth rates included Entertainment, which grew by 2.1%, Sports at 3.6%, DIY at 5%, and Food Stores at 5.2%, all falling below the inflation rate. Nevertheless, nine of the thirteen retail categories achieved sales growth above the annual inflation figure.

Together, the 123 retailers analyzed in the report operate more than 7,000 stores across Romania, primarily located in shopping centers, retail parks, and commercial galleries.

Vlad Săftoiu, Head of Research at Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, observed a shift in consumer behavior over the past year. While spending on food and daily necessities remained high, non-food categories recorded higher growth rates. Săftoiu noted this as a positive sign for the retail market, highlighting that many non-food segments saw double-digit increases, indicating significant potential for further expansion. He added that Romania ranks among EU member states reporting robust retail growth, with non-food products up 5.8% in real terms at the start of this year.

Reflecting this momentum, developers have continued to expand retail offerings, with around 700,000 square meters of retail space currently in various stages of development, scheduled for delivery between 2025 and 2030.

Between 2019 and 2024, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the analyzed retailers was 10.9%, surpassing the average annual inflation rate of 7.4% during the same period. The highest CAGR figures were recorded in the Cosmetics segment at 19.2%, Specialized Stores at 19.1%, and Food & Beverage at 16.4%.

Retailers’ revenue increases have been driven both by network expansions and organic sales growth, supported by higher traffic in physical stores and significant online operations. Developers contributed to this expansion, delivering around 340,000 square meters of modern retail space between 2024 and the first half of 2025 through new projects and the refurbishment or expansion of existing properties.