The Penny Market discount stores will occupy about 40% of the total area of the former XXL Mega Discount stores and the rest will be used by other tenants. The German group is currently negotiating to add more tenants. The anchors will open soon one by one and the rest of the space should be filled by yearend.
An XXL Mega Discount store took up 2,000 to 2,500 square meters, according to the latest ZF data. In comparison, a regular Penny Market store takes up 800 square meters.
The stores will therefore be restructured using the shopping gallery model, which is usually built around a hypermarket anchor.
Rewe announced at the end of last year that it will close all eight XXL Mega Discount stores in Romania to focus on its main brand, Penny Market. It sold two of the eight to rival Lidl in a EUR8 million deal. The other six are undergoing remodeling.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)