Leroy Merlin and Carrefour open first stores in Chitila project

Nova Imobiliare British company has started construction works for the retail park of Colosseum project of Chitila, near Bucharest, after several delays. The project was announced on the market in 2007.
The first stores to be launched will be Leroy Merlin and Carrefour, scheduled for opening in 2011, and the two retailers' investments can be valued at over 40m euros.
Leroy Merlin DIY retailer, owned by Adeo French group, is at its first store opening in Romania. In its turn, Carrefour is likely to open the 24th store of its domestic hypermarket network, after having put strong brakes on expansion on this market segment in the past year and a half.
"The late date by which we got all the licenses and permits from the City Hall to start construction works was the biggest hurdle. The first stage of the project will probably be completed next year," stated Răzvan Voncu, Colosseum's spokesman.
The Chitila shopping area, set to include a mall in the second development stage, involves total investments worth 350m euros, according to company data. The developer signed the construction contract with Bouygues French company.