Justyna Bartosz, NEPI Rockcastle’s Group Leasing Director, electrified the conference as she opened the door to brands seeking to enter the dynamic CEE retail markets through the NEPI Rockcastle platform.

She outlined multiple strategic entry options, from starting with a single store, to expanding across additional shopping centres, and ultimately adapting and evolving the store formats to meet evolving consumer demand.

Ramona Marusac, Regional Head of Leasing in Romania, delivered a detailed overview of the ambitious €300 million Promenada Mall extension project in Bucharest — part of NEPI Rockcastle’s substantial €800 million development and refurbishment pipeline.

Bucharest, CEE’s second-largest capital with 2.29 million inhabitants and purchasing power 104% above the Romanian national average, provides a strong foundation for this expansion. The prime CBD location is driving the project, which will double the retail space and introduce a hotel and offices. Due to site constraints, this is a vertical development that will span from -7 floors below ground to +11 floors above upon completion.

The surrounding Bucharest CBD is undergoing significant transformation, with 3,000 new apartments delivered in the area over the past two years — right on the mall’s doorstep. Recent refinements to the existing mall have focused on improving customer flow, introducing dedicated experience zones for dining and entertainment to turn a shopping visit into a full day out, and implementing category clustering. Brands are now grouped by shopping category with optimised adjacencies, bringing anchor stores and smaller retailers together more effectively.
Leasing is structured around four key pillars: curated fashion (international and local premium and mid-market brands), cosmetics (flagship beauty destinations and niche brands), and a strong entertainment offering that includes a major new cinema, theatre, gym, and a new science museum.