Massive investments in logistics on the Romanian market

Food retailers are expanding warehousing space and networks, overall investments worth above 50m euros on the logistics segment for this year alone.

 Kaufland
and Plus invested a total of 55m euros in warehouse in Ploiesti in
2005. Subsequently, after the first store openings, retailers
announced further investments to expand warehouse space, to keep up
with the fast network expansion.
Following the same strategy,
German discount store Lidl, which is looking for locations to open
its first stores in Romania, is building a 45,000-square metre
logistic centre on the outskirts of Bucharest.
Other major retail
groups are also making massive investments in logistics to support
domestic network expansion. For instance, Carrefour last year signed
the biggest rental deal on the segment of logistic space in Romania.
According to ZF estimates, Carrefour paid around 15m euros to rent a
45,000-square metre warehouse and another 2,000 square metres of
offices in Cefin project. The space will be taken over in several
stages by 2009.
Billa, the biggest supermarket network on the
market with 29 stores, is currently involved in a logistics
investment similar to Carrefour's. The operator recently announced
investments worth around 20m euros in a 17,500-square metre warehouse
in Brazi, close to Ploiesti. Rewe, which owns Billa, Selgros
Cash&Carry and Penny Market in Romania, has recently set up a
procurement centre for Billa and Penny.
After it acquired La
Fourmi, Mega Image, the biggest supermarket operator in Bucharest,
started to construct a logistics centre close to Bucharest. It
acquired 10 hectares of land and will build a 40,000-50,000 square
metre warehouse.