Romanian retail & FMCG market – For all our readers abroad, these are the most important news from Romanian retail & FMCG market, in December 2025, provided by retail-FMCG.ro, the most read B2B online publication, in Romania, from the retail & FMCG niche.
retail-FMCG.ro launched EXPO RETAIL 2026 – Digital, Green & Tech, the fifth edition of the professional fair dedicated to technology, equipment and services for retail, e-commerce and FMCG industry, that will take place on the 23rd-24th of September 2026 at the Polytechnic National University of Science and Technology from Bucharest.
Personalized offers for partners at contact@expo-retail.com or tel. +40720120456
Book your stand here: www.expo-retail.com/en/exibitors/
24th of November 2025 marked a special moment for us: the retail-FMCG.ro publication, part of Retail FMCG Media, celebrated 15 years of existence. 15 years of specialized media, of relevant information for professionals, of analysis, interviews, projects, events, communities and 15 years in which we have been the witnesses of the transformation of the most dynamic industry in the Romanian economy. Today, retail-FMCG.ro is not just a publication, is a business platform.
Retail – Profi
Profi continued to sustain the expansion rhythm in December and opened 18 stores. This way, the retailer finished 2025 with 1.744 stores in Romania, consolidating its leading position in the segment of proximity modern retail.
The Local Goods Shelf offers in the Profi stores from Satu Mare, Livada and Negresti-Oas the goods made by the local small producers.
Profi and Glovo announced the extension of their collaboration, reaching over 230 active stores in the app in 56 cities.
Retail – Mega Image
Mega Image and Profi Rom Food, both members of Ahold Delhaize Group, will function as unique legal entities, starting on the 31st of March 2026, to create a powerful and efficient organization, keeping the local brands separate.
Retail – Carrefour
Carrefour Romania expanded the Our Garden program and brings Romanian tomatoes all year, by including a new cooperative from Capusu Mare, Cluj district.
After launching the collaboration for the Sustainable Linked Business Plan, a partnership without financial rights but which aims to reduce waste from packages and to low carbon emissions, developed globally by Carrefour and implemented locally by Coca-Cola HBC Romania – these two companies announced the progress registered.
Carrefour Romania and Red Cross Romania continued the Food Bank project initiated in 2009, which became a support for the people in need.
The Members ofthe loyalty program Act for Good from the Carrefour app have a new functionality, „Story Year in Review 2025”, an interactive x-ray of purchasing behavior in 2025.
Carrefour aimed on the investmet in the e-commerce segment development in 2025, bringing two new important partners in its online environment – Bolt Food and Trendyol.
Carrefour Romania accelerated the development of its proximity formats and reached another milestone: 200 Express stores.
Based on the discussions with Gilles Ballor, CEO of Carrefour Romania, and Roxana Cernica, Small Formats Business Unit Manager of Carrefour Romania, we analyzed how these two small formats respond to the changes in the consumption behavior, what challenges brought this year to them, and what are the developing directions for the next period, in a strategy in which the proximity means relevance, adaptability and convenience.
Retail – Auchan
In the context in which the agro-food systems are responsible for almost a third of the global emissions of greenhouse gases, Auchan Romania commits to an active role in its supply network to a sustainable model.
Retail – Lidl
Lidl Romania opened a store in Mosnita Veche, Timis district, and two new stores in Ipotesti, Suceava district, and Buftea, Ilfov district, offering to the people quality products at accessible prices and a modern shopping space.
Lidl Romania published the most recent sustainability report for the 2024 financial year and announced accelerated progress to reduce the impact on the environment.
Retail – Kaufland
Kaufland Romania continued to develop the shopping experience for DIY enthusiasts by expanding the selling surface of the PARKSIDE product range, one of the most appreciated own labels from its portfolio.
FoodFix and Pluxee, a global leader of extrasalary and solutions for employees, launched the project „Fixed Lunch”, an initiative that shows how the value of the food ticket can be transformed into a complete, balanced and accessible lunch. The project is made with Kaufland and Wolt.
Kaufland Romania expanded its presence at the national level and opened its 26th store in Bucharest.
Kaufland Romania published the most recent Sustainability report of the company and the eighth at a local level, for the 2024 financial year, for the period from March 2024 to February 2025.
For the holiday dinner, Kaufland expanded the offer in the stores with new Romanian products, from many regions of the country.
Retail – PENNY
PENNY continued the expansion of its network and opened five new stores in Turt (Satu Mare district), Targu Jiu (Gorj district), Dragomirești (Dâmbovița district), Ghimpati (Giurgiu district) and Botosani (Botosani district), continuing the constant process of expansion in the whole country. Also, the retailer opened 10 more stores, in Ciolpani, Valea Adanca, Pogoanele, Petresti, Fundeni, Vetis, Marginea, Popesti Leordeni, Bucharest and Siria, and is finishing the year with 456 units at the national level.
Retail – Other retailers
Nhood, an integrated real estate services and solutions company, present in 10 European countries, has a new Country Director for Property Services Romania & Poland – Mihaela Petruescu.
The modern retail market in Romania continued the expansion, overcoming the 2025 threshold of 5 million sqm of rentable commercial spaces, according to Colliers.
The concept of the project DraculaLand has launched – a private investment of over 1 billion euros, made to become the biggest entertainment, retail, and technology destination, transforming the country into a new global hub of entertainment.
The Commercial centers in Bucharest registered mixed financial results in 2022-2024. According to RisCo.ro, there are clear differences between the biggest projects, like AFI Cotroceni and Baneasa Shopping City and medium and small commercial centers, like Promenada, ParkLake, Sun Plaza, Bucuresti mall, Plaza Romania and Veranda.
The DIANA stores network marked a key moment in its development by opening the 100th store in Berbesti, Valcea district.
The 2025 Christmas edition of the National Food Collection, organized by the Food Bank Federation in Romania, held between the 5th and the 7th of December, demonstrated once again how powerful solidarity is when people choose to be together.
For the final of the year, Baneasa Shopping City, the leading commercial center on the fashion and entertainment market, prepared a series of experiences meant to respond to the most sophisticated wishes, transforming the holiday season into a magical and relaxing period.
Froo, the proximity store network owned by the Polish group Żabka, marked a remarkable evolution on the Romanian market, just 1 and a half years after entering this market.
MOL Fresh Corner finished 2025 with the best performance in its history, in the context in which the two emblematic products of the brand, the coffee and the hot dogs, registered record sales in the region.
The Competition Council launched a public debate for the commitments proposed by the Project Brazil Beta GmBH, the entity from Schwarz Group (Lidl and Kaufland), meant to remove the competition concerns identified on the retail market, for the acquisition of Supermarket La Cocos SA.
FMCG
The premium wine and dewine market becomes more competitive in Romania, especially because consumers are searching all the time for surprising tastes. Also, the Romanian consumers want authentic products, with a clear origin and consistency in quality. Produse Moldovenesti, with over 19 years of experience, plays an important role in bringing and promoting exceptional drinks from the Republic of Moldova, in retail and in HoReCa.
The Romanian brand Artesana was named the winner of the QUDAL award – QUality meDAL 2025-2026 for kefir, after a study developed by the ICERITAS international organization.
Pernod Ricard Romania launched Ballantine’s Sweet Blend, the newest innovation from the portfolio of some of the most appreciated whisky brands.
The consumption of extravirgin oil in Romania is still reduced per person, but grows constantly, and the market is going through an obvious premiumization process.
Olympus, one of the biggest dairy producers in Romania and a leader in milk collecting from local farmers, opened its own store in the Milk Factory from Brasov.
The Competition Council analyzed the pork meat market, launching a study to identify the barriers that limit the access of Romanian farmers to the processing and selling market of pork meat.
Food Service
Popeyes opened the second restaurant in Iasi and the first restaurant in Oradea, continuing the expansion started last year.
5 to go signed a new partnership with the national network of stations RO concept OSCAR, outlining a strategic step in expanding through complementary selling channels, with increased traffic. 5 to go finished the tenth year on the Romanian market with significant results: over 700 active locations, an extended network in 160 cities in Romania, and a community of 315 entrepreneurs who contribute every day to consolidate the biggest coffee networks in the country.
City Grill Group finished 2025 with an investment of 3 million euros for the modernization of restaurant infrastructure, accelerating digitalization, and evolving the culinary experience.
Taco Bell expanded its network in Romania with a new restaurant in Sun Plaza in Bucharest.
Premier Capital reached a new threshold: it opened the 200th McDonald’s restaurant in Malta, in its original country.
PAUL Romania officially marked the start of winter holidays by launching the 2025 Christmas collection, a festive selection inspired by the French pastry tradition.
Premier Restaurants Romania, the operator of the McDonald’s restaurant network in Romania, opened a new Drive-Thru restaurant in Bacau, in Aurora Retail Park.
E-commerce
According to Glovo, the tech platform that offers requested services, in the last 12 months, Romanians remained loyal to traditional dishes. The number of food and non-food orders placed this year through Glovo positioned Romania in first place in South-Eastern Europe for requests in the app.
eMAG celebrated 24 years of services and tools that improved people’s lives and changed the mode in which they shop, and 14 years since the platform opened for Romanian entrepreneurs.
While the consumer behavior in Romania is growing and the food shopping migrates rapidly to online, Sezamo presented five trends that will shape the food market in 2025.
E-commerce in Romania continued the growing trend in 2025, confirming its important role in the digital economy, according to ARMO.
Seven months after launching in Romania, Wolt, the platform with quick delivery commerce, presented the results of its first detailed analysis of the shopping behavior of Romanians.
The data from Freshful by eMAG confirms the intense rhythm of the season. The number of orders is increasing day by day and the estimations show that near Christmas, Freshful will deliver over 6000 daily orders, to bring the products into Romanians homes, from pork meat to local sweets, beverages and gifts.
Services
Cargus, one of the biggest courier companies in Romania, named Razvan Dragoi as Chief Sales Officer and as a member of the board team. Cargus accelerated the expansion of its national network of out-of-home delivery points through a strategic partnership with Carrefour Romania, one of the biggest retailers in the country.
Food Angels Hub, the first community of investors in Romania dedicated to the food sector, officially launched, aiming to develop and scale functional and profitable companies from the food, hospitality and technology industry.
PayPoint Romania, in partnership with Mastercard, announced the implementation of a new service dedicated to consumers: the cash withdrawal directly from PayPoint-assisted POS terminals.
From shopping with AI agents to big progress in using stablecoin, 2026 will overcome 2025 in the evolution of digital payments, according to an analysis made by Visa.
The recent wave of the study FOCUS ON: New Media Adoption, made by Spark Foundry, highlighted a significant change in media behaviors, in searching behaviors and in digital implication of the internet users in the urban environment in Romania.
RetuRO, the administrator of the Guarantee-Returning System, the largest project of the circular economy in Romania, announced the evolution and results of the program for January-November 2025.
Sameday, a courier company and logistic operator with national and regional coverage, sent to its partners official information about the implementation of the logistic taxes at a value of 25 lei for each eligible parcel, according to the new law.
Analysis
In November 2025, 35 stores were opened in the local FMCG retail market.
„15 highlights in 15 years” series
The „15 highlights in 15 years” series continued with an interview with Lucian Baltaru, CEO of Sameday, who talked about the deep transformations of the industry, the moment in which couriers overcame the status of delivery service, the role that the out-of-home infrastructure had in market maturation, and the directions that will define the next years of e-commerce.
We interviewed Daniel Gross, CEO of PENNY Romania, who explained what changed in the food retail, why the discounter format became dominant, what is the invisible motor of the network expansion, and how the modern discounter market will look like in 2023.
We talked with Alina Ciobanu, co-founder of retail-FMCG Media and the coordinator of the B2B events division, about B2B events and how they developed the industry.
The „15 highlights in 15 years” series continued with an interview with Ioana Pana, Shopper Marketing & E-Commerce Manager SCE at Mondelēz International, who talked about the deep transformation ofthe consumer behavior, about the role of local production in the portfolio consolidation and about the new direction of snacking: from concious and moderated choices, to functional products, on the go formats and pampering experiences calibrated to the lifestyle of the modern consumer.
We continued to talk with Călin Costinaș, Deputy CEO Profi, who explained the way in which consumer behavior changed in the last 15 years, why the regional and micro-local decisions are decisive for the success of the proximity format, and what the future store looks like in an economy in which time, personalization, and price are essential.
In this interview, Alexandra Mociulschi, Retail Manager Nespresso Romania, explained the way in which the consumers taste refined, how the preferences evolved to variety, quality, and sustainability, what role the brand spaces and the Coffee Specialists play in market education and how Nespresso prepares for the future of office, hotels and restaurants experience.
The series continued with Georgiana Gheorghiu, Marketing Manager of GAMA & GAMA, and we talked about the way in which the market transformed, the role that the pet owner’s responsibility has, and how the market evolves in the relationship between producers and retailers in a category in which trust, accessibility, and nutritional performance are the most important.
In this interview, Tiberiu Danetiu, Corporate Affairs & Retail Media Manager of Auchan Romania, tells us about the most important changes in the last 15 years: the consumer maturization, the price role as a decisive point, the proximity growth, and the retail media emergence as a new communication vertical.
The series continued with Vlad Dulea, Founder & Chief Growth Officer Kooperativa 2.0, who explained what maturity means in a digital marketing agency, where the difference between scaling ecommerce and one that just resists is, and how the real pressures will be defined in the next few years in e-commerce.
We talked with Dana Radoveneanu, Head of Retail Agency Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, who analyzed the way in which retail and logistics evolved, why the selection criteria of commercial spaces remain constant in a competitive way, and what the major directions that will reshape the commercial real estate in the next few years are.
The next interview was with Mihai Voicu, Head of Groceries, Glovo Romania, who explained the way in which quick commerce became one of the most dynamic verticals of e-commerce, why the groceries delivery constantly grows and how Romania became one of the most developed markets for Glovo.
The „15 highlights in 15 years” series continued with an interview with Maksym Sazhyn, Regional Managing Manager of POS Media Romania, who explained the way in which media retail and in-store marketing evolved from tactical executions to integrated, measurable, and deeply anchored systems in the shoppers’ behavior.
In another interview for retail-FMCG.ro, Narcis Horhoianu, Chief Marketing Officer & E-commerce Carrefour Romania, analyzed the most important changes in the last 15 years: the growth of online shopping, the development of data-based loyalty programs, the consolidation of the leader position in e-grocery and the expansion of the partnerships with delivery platforms.
In the last interview of this series, Agnieszka Olsen, Head of Foreign Trade Office în cadrul Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH), explained the role of the agency in facilitating the access to Polish companies on the Romanian market, the opportunities identified in sectors such as retail, FMCG, DIY, Home Improvement, Garden and Pet Food and the importance of B2B events in buiding solid commercial partnerships.
Other events for retail
retail FMCG.ro launched EXPO PET 2026 – Food & Accessories, the third edition of the B2B exhibition with products for all categories of pet food and accessories in Romania, that will take place on 23th-24th of September 2025, at the Polytechnic National University of Science and Technology from Bucharest.
Personalized offers for partners at contact@expo-petfood.com or tel. +40720120456
Book your stand here: www.expo-petfood.com/en/exibitors/
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