The foreign apparel retailers that have entered directly on the Romanian market in recent years are no longer waiting for the market to thaw up and are stepping up expansion with investments double the 2009 level, which ZF put at 72m euros, on the basis of company information. "(...) While we will not witness a consumption rebound, but a further decline by 10%, foreign retailers are thinking out expansion on the long term. Moreover, the large ones are still selling during this period, they are not losing money," believes Ilan Laufer, general manager of Retail Group real estate consultancy. Thus, Inditex, the producer of Zara, Bershka or Pull & Bear, C&A, Decathlon or Germany's New Yorker, Deichmann and Takko have negotiated at least 55 new openings, 20 more than last year, with the earmarked area topping 62,000 square metres. Yet, what is the reason why we are witnessing rising investment budgets this year, though consumers are still wary about spending more? "Large companies expand depending on opportunities. Many of them continue the development strategy they embraced when entering Romania several years ago (...)," Laufer says.

The foreign apparel retailers that have entered directly on the Romanian market in recent years are no longer waiting for the market to thaw up and are stepping up expansion with investments double the 2009 level, which ZF put at 72m euros, on the basis of company information. "(...) While we will not witness a consumption rebound, but a further decline by 10%, foreign retailers are thinking out expansion on the long term. Moreover, the large ones are still selling during this period, they are not losing money," believes Ilan Laufer, general manager of Retail Group real estate consultancy. Thus, Inditex, the producer of Zara, Bershka or Pull & Bear, C&A, Decathlon or Germany's New Yorker, Deichmann and Takko have negotiated at leas