France’s Carrefour signed the agreement to buy the Billa supermarkets, Ikea bought a 48-hectare plot of land in northern Bucharest and French dairy giant Lactalis made a move to buy the leading Romanian dairy business, Albalact.
Moreover, the latest developments on the real estate, retail and medical service markets indicate optimism of Romanian and foreign investors about the outlook of the local economy, which is seeing one of the highest growth rates in the EU.
“There will be more real estate deals involving high value assets, we are talking assets that reached maturity and have attracted the interest of investors. They are looking at Romania because it offers better yields than the other Central and Eastern European markets,” says Andreea Paun, associate director of real estate consultant Colliers. Most deals will be closed on the industrial and office space segment, she added.
“What is happening on the local M&A market is a nice surprise and a good reason for optimism about the future prospects of the local economy,” says lawyer Florentin Tuca, managing partner of law firm Tuca, Zbarcea & Asociatii, one of the leading firms in the country.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)