Shopping centres in Romania are more frequently used as leisure destinations than in many other European countries, according to a recent analysis by Nhood Romania, a real estate services company. The findings suggest that Romanian malls outperform those in Germany, Italy, and Austria in terms of entertainment offerings, although the overall range remains limited. The analysis covered more than 30 shopping centres in Romania. It found that despite limited diversification, Romania’s malls are better positioned in the leisure segment, largely due to local consumer behaviour. According to Bogdan Aldea, Head of Business Development at Nhood Romania, Romanian consumers are more inclined to use malls for recreation than their counterparts in more mature markets, presenting a growth opportunity for developers. However, spending on entertainment remains relatively low. Based on data from Romania’s National Institute of Statistics (INSSE), households spent an average of 3.1% of their consumption budget on recreation, culture, and sports in 2023—about 120 RON per month. This share increases to 5.9% among households with higher incomes but still falls below levels seen in other countries: 5.1% in Spain, 7% in France, and 9% in Germany. In terms of existing offerings, most Romanian malls include facilities like children’s play areas and arcades, present in 40–50% of centres. More specialised activities such as virtual reality attractions, bowling, laser tag, escape rooms, or trampoline parks are available in less than 10% of the analysed locations. Only 41% of shopping centres offer more than one type of entertainment. Despite this, the presence of any form of entertainment is higher in Romanian malls (79%) than in Germany (57%) or Italy (45%). This is attributed to local consumer habits and different strategies by mall operators. In Romania, shopping centres have increasingly adapted to leisure-focused use, while other countries have been slower to respond to evolving consumer preferences. According to Gabriela Piștalu, Head of Property & Asset Services at Nhood Romania, expanding the variety of entertainment options could improve customer retention and foot traffic. She emphasised the importance of integrating complementary attractions to support the positioning of malls as multi-purpose lifestyle destinations. Currently, Nhood Romania manages 23 retail properties, with 7,000 square metres of entertainment space already in place and another 4,100 square metres under development.