In the next years, large stores will make place for proximity shops in Romania too, similar to the trend in the developed countries, according to analysts in the field.

People don’t want to spend too much time in the store and prefer to go to shops near home to reduce additional costs, such as transport, said Manfred Litschka, TCC Managing Director, cited by local Economica.net.

Hypermarkets had a share of 28% of the local retail market in the first quarter of the year, more than supermarkets (16%) or discounters (11%), according to a GfK study. Their market share also grew compared to last year, when hypermarkets took 26% of Romania’s retail market.

Romania’s retail market is still very fragmented with many players, but this will surely change in the next years, Manfred Litschka added. Some retailers will withdraw, but there are already two strong players, Kaufland and Lidl, which will grow even more.

editor@romania-insider.com