The annual inflation rate in Romania in November 2023 stood at 6.9%, a decline of more than half on the same period the previous year (14.6%), however energy prices – amongst the highest in Europe – have continued to prove a headache for consumers.
Retail volumes returned to growth in October 2023, up 0.9% on a month-on-month basis, after three successive months of decline (-0.4% in September 2023, -0.4% in August 2023 and -0.1% in July 2023).
In September 2023, NIQ noted that Romanian consumers are being 'more pragmatic and calculated' with their purchasing habits, with the discount channel seeing the highest growth in the first half of 2023 (+26.3% in value terms), followed by smaller formats — mini-markets (+22.7%) and supermarkets (+16.5%).
Elsewhere, a February 2024 study by Eurostat found that Romania had the highest inflation rate in the European Union at the start of the year, of 7.3%, well ahead of the EU average of 2.8%.
The past few months has seen plenty of M&A activity in the Romanian retail market, with Carrefour acquiring the Cora brand, and Ahold Delhaize taking over Profi Rom Food.
Read More: Romania Launches New Deposit Return Scheme To Boost Recycling
Here's an overview of the top ten supermarket retail chains in Romania, according to their most recently-available full-year turnover. All data is supplied by Retail-Index.
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1. Lidl & Kaufland
Turnover: €5 billion (2021 - estimated)
Schwarz Group owned retailers Kaufland and Lidl take the top spot in Romania, with Kaufland boasting some 155 outlets and Lidl 320 outlets as of last year. Lidl and Kaufland reported a combined estimated turnover of €5 billion in 2021.
2. Carrefour
Turnover: €944 million (2022)
French multinational retailer Carrefour operates several store formats in Romania, under the banners Carrefour Contact, Carrefour Express and Carrefour Market. Carrefour has a total of 343 outlets in the country, and reported turnover of €944 million in 2022.
3. Profi
Turnover: €1.89 billion (2020)
Profi is a Romanian retail chain that operates 1,644 stores across the country. The group was taken over by MEP Retail Investments in 2017.
Read More: Ahold Delhaize Acquires Romania’s Profi Rom Food
4. Mega Image
Turnover: €1.52 billion (2021)
Part of the Ahold Delhaize network, Mega Image operates 911 stores across the country, under the banners Mega Image (511 outlets as of last year) and Shop&Go (400 outlets). The business reported a turnover of €1.52 billion in 2021.
5. Auchan
Turnover: €1.29 billion (2021)
Boasting a presence in Romania since 2005, Auchan operates both hypermarkets and supermarkets in the country. The French retailer has a total of 40 stores in Romania, and reported a turnover of €1.29 billion in 2021.
Read More: Auchan Completes Rollout Of Stores At Petrom Service Stations
6. Metro C&C
Turnover: €1.5 billion (2021 – estimated)
Wholesale giant Metro Cash & Carry operates two banners in Romania: La Doi Pasi and Metro. The company has a total of 30 outlets in the country, and reported an estimated turnover of €1.5 billion in 2021.
7. Selgros
Turnover: €810 million (2021)
Cash-and-carry operator Selgros boasts 21 stores in Romania, and reported a turnover of €810 million in 2021. It has had a presence in the country since 2001.
8. REWE
Turnover: €1.096 billion (2021)
German retailer REWE operates several store formats in Romania, including Billa, Penny, Penny XXL, and XXL Mega Discount. The company has a total of 311 stores in Romania, and reported a turnover of €1.096 billion in 2021.
9. Cora
Turnover: €310 million (2022)
Cora is a French retail company that operates 13 hypermarkets in Romania. The group, which has had a presence in the country since 2007, reported a turnover of €310 million in 2022.
Read More: Carrefour Completes Acquisition Of Cora In Romania
10. CBA
Turnover: N/A
Boasting a presence in Romania since 2002, CBA operates some 115 outlets in Romania, in both medium-sized and small store formats.
About Retail-Index
Retail-Index is a specialist supplier of management information on consumer retail markets, provided by Veraart Research Group in the Netherlands. Its mission is to supply managers with up-to-date key information on retail markets in Europe and support them in their international expansion.
The company dates back to 1964, when it started as a market research and marketing consulting company for consumer products and services. In 1989, it started publishing written reports on various retail sectors in Europe. As of 2005, it publishes its information on retailers through the online database and curated datasheet exports available on www.retail-index.com. A team of researchers manages the data to reflect upon current developments in the markets, collected from an extensive number of sources.
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© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
