Therefore, nearly 45 pct. of the transacted area this year in the logistics segment came from the retailers, which expanded their storage areas in order to support the new opened stores, as well as the consumption growth. The large trade networks opened this year more than 240 stores, with Profi (134) and Mega Image (51) in top.

”This year the largest transactions with logistics spaces were registered by the retail companies, Carrefour (75,000 sqm), Profi (33,000 sqm) and Decathlon (22,000 sqm) leading in the top of retailers with largest number of logistics spaces rented this year. The top also includes other companies such as eMag, Flanco and Altex”, showed Cristina Pop.

Part of the retailers prefer however to develop their own warehouses, such as Lidl, Mega Image, Kaufland, Auchan and Penny Market.

Lidl has opened in November a logistics centre of more than 45,000 sqm in Lugoj, following an investment exceeding EUR 20 million. This is the fourth warehouse in the company’s portfolio.

Penny Market, part of German group REWE, started in May the construction of its third logistics centre near Bacau city. The investment, including the land purchase, the construction and the specific equipments will reach EUR 19 million.

Moreover, the expansion of the network Mega Image will be supported also by its new logistics centre situated in Ștefănești, at the entry on A3 highway, which became fully operational in the end of September, following more than EUR 20 million investments.

According to JLL data, this year saw industrial and logistics deliveries totalizing nearly 345,000 sqm.

”From the total of deliveries, nearly 60 pct. were in Bucharest. Cluj (11%), Ploiești (8,5%), Brașov (approx. 7%) and Timișoara (approx. 5%) were the following favourite destinations of the industrial developers and implicitly of their tenants, considering that most of the projects were done based on lease agreements and less speculatively”, added Cristina Pop.

Considering production spaces, only 20 pct of the total of 435,000 sqm (logistic plus industrial) delivered in 2016 had as destination production activities.

”Most of the spaces were logistics, considering that the industrial spaces, designed for production activities, are generally owned by its operators”, has explained Cristina Pop.

The largest logistics and industrial spaces developers in Romania include CTP, WarehousesDePauw (WdP), P3, Logicor or Alinso. (source: profit.ro)