Real hypermarket opens first non-stop store in Bucharest

The group plans to expand to four stores in Bucharest and 21 countrywide by the end of 2008. The next Bucharest store will be located in the Berceni area of the city.”This expansion plan requires serious investments. Until now, the group has invested EUR 200 million in the already-functioning 10 hypermarkets around the country,” said Tjeerd Jegen, general director at Real Hypermarket Romania.
The new store is located in the Vitan area and spreads on almost 15,000 sqm of built area. It has 500 parking spaces. The group's strategy is to buy or rent the land where it plans to open units. Real is the owner of the land in Vitan, according to Jegen.
The hypermarket has a shopping gallery of 4,100 sqm, with 14 shops.
Real plans to open five hypermarkets by year-end in Galati, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Deva. The investment in the Galati hypermarket is EUR 19 million.
The German retailer entered the Romanian market in 2006 and has opened nine hypermarkets in less than one year. “We expect to exceed the EUR 82 million sales registered in 2006 this year,” said Jegen.

Magda Purice