Romania is close to the bottom of a retail ranking of countries still under development. The country comes 24th among the 30 countries analyzed by A.T. Kearney for the Global Retail Development Index.

With a retail market estimated at some USD 45 billion, Romania comes after Russia and Zambia, and outranks Paraguay and Tunisia, while the first slots go to China, India and Malaysia.

“Romania’s development has been favored by the constant GDP growth. […] Despite having a still predominant rural population, Romania sees a rapid growth in modern retail. […] Retail centers continue to expand, encouraged by economic recovery and consumption growth,” according to the A.T. Kearney report.

Big retailers in Romania currently have an aggressive expansion policy via smaller retail formats. New brands have recently entered the market: Forever 21, Lanidor, Tezenis, Michael Kors, Kiehls, and Chanel, among others.

IT&C retailers have seen increasing revenues and are expanding – Altex, Flanco, while do-it-yourself stores are consolidating on a still crowded market of 10 players.

Find the entire study here.

editor@romania-insider.com