The modern stock of leasable industrial and logistics space in Bucharest has almost quadrupled over the past decade to more than 3.6 million square metres, according to data from Colliers. The Romanian capital now ranks 7th among the most dynamic markets in the European Union between 2015 and 2025. Despite a challenging economic environment, the beginning of 2025 saw some positive signs, with leasing volumes up by more than 50% compared to the first quarter of the previous year.
”The industrial and logistics sector is arguably the most dynamic segment of the Romanian commercial real estate market. Between 2015 and 2025, the modern stock in Bucharest and the surrounding area will grow from around 900,000 square metres to more than 3.6 million, with the potential to reach 4 million by the end of the year. During this period, only six major European regions - Szczecin, Gdansk, Kraków, Łódź, Stockholm and Gothenburg - saw faster growth", says Victor Coșconel, Partner | Head of Leasing | Office & Industrial Agencies at Colliers.
Colliers only took into account cities which had a leasable modern industrial stock of at least one million square metres as of the start of 2025. Otherwise, new developments have been particularly focused in the western and north-western areas of Bucharest, where most of the city's logistics and industrial projects are located presently. In recent years, however, the southern and eastern parts of the capital’s region have attracted increasing attention due to lower land costs and easier access to labour, in a context of gradually improving infrastructure.
At a national level, the stock of modern industrial space grew significantly, from 1.6 million square metres in 2015 to more than 7.6 million square metres in 2025. This means that the market outside the capital has seen an even faster growth rate, expanding from around 700,000 square metres a decade ago to almost 4 million today.
”This gap in the pace of growth between the capital and other industrial centres has widened in the post-pandemic period. A larger labour pool, more competitive wages and infrastructure improvements have all played a key role in encouraging companies to explore other regions. Another important factor has been the expansion of the manufacturing sector in recent years, which typically favours locations in Transylvania or southern Romania rather than the Bucharest area", adds Victor Coșconel.
Still, the Colliers partner underlines that Romania retains significant growth potential, driven by a higher level of consumption compared to more mature regional economies such as Poland, the Czech Republic, or Hungary. Additionally, Romania uses its industrial and logistics spaces more intensively relative to its export volumes. For instance, for every 1 million square meters of leasable space, Romania exports over 7 million tons of goods - compared to around 6 million in Poland and around 5 million in the Czech Republic.
In the first quarter of 2025, the industrial and logistics leasing market grew by approximately 50% year-over-year, reaching 156,000 square meters, according to Colliers data (publicly disclosed transactions only). Among the most notable deals were Delamode’s 30,000-square-meter lease at CTPark Bucharest West – a renegotiations and expansion, and a 20,000-square-meter lease signed by auto parts distributor NRF in MLP Bucharest West; the biggest deal saw a sizeable lease from a Dutch retailer which is entering the local market. Logistics firms accounted for more the biggest share of the deals, followedby players in retail and the automotive sector.
”While the long-term outlook remains solid, a number of internal and external uncertainties affect the market's short- and medium-term performance. As long as Romania maintains its key advantages - favourable labour productivity compared to wage costs and direct access to the world's largest consumer market, the EU - the industrial and logistics segment will continue to be one of the most dynamic in the coming years”, concludes Victor Coșconel, Partner | Head of Leasing | Office & Industrial Agencies at Colliers.
