Within the next 3 years, around 10 malls will have a hypermarket as their main anchor, whereas the initial strategy relied on partnerships with supermarket networks. Carrefour and Auchan are already present in Polus and Iulius Mall shopping centres in Cluj, so the question is, which companies will follow?
The first hypermarkets to do this were French networks Auchan and Carrefour, which announced new alliances with developers and launched new stores this year. Another 3 malls with hypermarkets under the same roof are set to be launched in 2008, with the majority of them located in Bucharest and their number expected to reach 10 by around 2010.
What are hypermarket networks attempting to gain from sealing partnerships with shopping centres? The answer is prime locations and customers with above-average incomes, thus encroaching upon supermarkets' domain. So far, almost all the malls opened in Bucharest, and in the other Romanian cities, have counted on partnerships with supermarkets, but the development of the real estate market, through new shopping and entertainment formats, is generating opportunities for the expansion of largest FMCG stores there are. "There's a bilateral benefit: the mall secures an additional inflow of customers for the hypermarket, particularly customers with medium and high incomes and, as a result, the hypermarket guarantees several thousand customers per day. At the same time, malls generally boast prime locations within cities and this is how they secure solid customer numbers," says Tiberiu Danetiu, marketing manager for Auchan Romania.
This year, Auchan opened a hypermarket in Iulius Mall, Cluj-Napoca, and another unit in European Retail Park. In 2008, the company plans to open another 2 hypermarkets in Iulius Mall centres in Suceava and Timisoara. Carrefour has already opened a store in Polus Center, Cluj, and next year will launch a hypermarket next to Baneasa Shopping City, which will be the biggest retail park in Bucharest. Moreover, it will open a store in Era Shopping Park, a project that will also include a mall in its second phase of construction.
Real Hypermarket plans to open a store in Bucharest's Cotroceni Park, after the mall opens at the end of 2009. Half of Real hypermarkets are in locations where the presence of other shopping projects increases the flow of customers.
Cora will open a hypermarket in Sun Plaza mall in southern Bucharest, while Spar and G'Market also target locations within shopping centres.
So far, due to the small number of projects to build large malls, hypermarket operators have sealed partnerships with retail parks, selected crowded commercial areas or independent locations.
Real estate market players estimate there will be around 100 malls in Romania within the next 3-4 years, from 18 at present.
Hypermarkets in malls
This year, Auchan opened a hypermarket in Iulius Mall, Cluj-Napoca, and another one in European Retail Park and in 2008 will open two more stores in Iulius Mall centres in Suceava and Timisoara
Carrefour opened a hypermarket in Polus Center, Cluj, and in 2008 will open a store in Era Shopping Park
Real Hypermarket will open a hypermarket in Cotroceni Park
Cora will open a store in Sun Plaza mall in southern Bucharest
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