Just as in 2007, when the number of malls doubled to 20, developers have scheduled the majority of new launches for the last quarter of the year.
New openings on the market this year include the first Galleria malls, developed by Globe Trade Center (GTC), Atex's owner Dan Ostahie's first mall, and the first shopping centres developed by RED Management Capital, in Arad and Braila.
The number of commercial projects scheduled to finish this year, 24 (of which 3 have already been opened) will be developed mainly in form of retail parks and small and medium-sized malls.
Out of the 21 shopping centres due to open, 15 will be launched in the last four months of the year, when developers expect a higher flow of customers and better sales during the winter holidays.
These shopping centres, which will entail more than 1.5bn euros in total investments, will include around 3,000 stores with around 25,000 employees, which will labour market. On the other hand, the medium and long-term strategy of some developers, which have announced plans to set up major shopping centre networks in various cities, also depends on the performance of the malls scheduled for this year.
At the same time for experienced developers on the domestic market this year's deliveries will not be a first.
In the western part of Romania, where only two malls are present, three new shopping centres will open in the next three months, one in Arad and two in Oradea.
In the eastern part of the country, although less economically developed, five malls are already operational and another nine are scheduled to open by yearend.
At the same time, a series of cities such as Braila, Focsani, Galati and Piatra Neamt, will see their first shopping centres opened this year. However, the majority of projects will be delivered in Bucharest, after Baneasa Shopping City, the city
