About 9 out of 10 counties in Romania are attractive for industrial investments

About 9 out of 10 counties in Romania are included in the category of the most attractive European areas for industrial investments, on the back ground of the development of the local market and the competitive advantages offered to investors, according to the latest Colliers report about the European industrial market.   Romania continues to win visibility on the European map of industrial and logistic investments, in a context in which companies are looking for markets competitive for manufacturing, storing and distribution. Two thirds of European areas with the best profile for production activities are found only in four countries – Poland, Spain, Romania and France, according to the latest edition of the report “ExCEEding Borders: CEE & Iberia: Driving Europe's Industrial Transformation”.   In Romania's case, 36 counties, the equivalent of 9 out of 10, are found in the catgory of the most attractive regions for industrial investments, the mentioned source notes. With an overall stock of 8 million square meters of modern industrial and logistic areas at the beginning of 2026, of which 3.9 million square meters in Bucharest and about 450,000 sq.m. in construction at national level, including 195,000 sq.m. in the Capital area, Romania is the third largest market in the ECE-14 area, after Poland and Czechia, and continues to grow at a sustained rate, fed by investments in production, logistics and infrastructure, the analysis authors show.   At the same time, Romania is among the regional markets in which the development of modern and energy efficient areas get more traction, on the background of the higher demand for sustainable, green buildings, adapted to the strict demands of tenants, ivestors and financiers, the source mentions.   In 2025, the demand for industrial and logistic areas in Romania reached a new high, with about 1 million square meters rented, amost double against 2024. The increase took place in an uncertain economic context, which shows the market resilience and Romania's ever growing role in reorganizing the chain of manufacture and distribution in Europe, the analysis shows.   At the same time, Colliers consultants say the structure of demand is changing. While before the pandemic transactions for production areas had a reduced rental share, of late, the interest in this segment has grown significantly.   At present, production activities represent at least 20% of the area rented every year, a lot over the levels recorded before 2020. Between 2023-2024, the manufacture segment represented over a third of renting demands, confirming the interest in such areas and reflecting a structural change of the market, the document showed.   At the same time, Bucharest remains the main industrial market of the country, but the Capital share in overall demand gradually drops to half and even lower, while regional cities attract more investments.   The west of Romania, areas closer to the European transport corridors and cities with access to industrial labour force become more relevant for manufacture, logistics, distribution and build-to-suit projects.   According to the mentioned source, the vacancy rate is about 5%, while rents for modern industrial areas vary between 4.5 and 5 euros/ square meter/month, an attractive level compared to more mature markets in the area.   Investment yields for prime projects are estimated at about 7.75%, over the levels of Czechia and Slovakia. That maintains the investors' interest in quality industrial areas, even in a period when capital becomes more selective, real estate consultants say.   At regional level, the investors' interest in industrial and logistic areas remains solid, while capital becomes more selective and is oriented towards shares and projects with clear bases. ECE-6 remains the nucleus of the industrial and logistic market in Central and Eastern Europe, concentrating over 80% of the modern stock of the extensive area and most of the renting activity.   On the ovaerall, modern stock is about 70 million square meters, and at the end of 2025, about 5 million square meters were in construction. For Romania, the report shows a competitive profile especially at price, stimuli and force labour levels.   Romania has one of the highest scores in the area for the stimulus chapter and one of the most attractive cost profiles in EU, while industrial labor force remains an important advantage. At the same time, lower scores for infrastructure and industrial development indicate areas in which progress can back the next growth stage, the analysis points out.   The report points out that the present European map of regional aid is valid until the end of 2027, and the next cycle may bring a drop of stimuli intensity in areas which recover some of the differences.   On a middle term, Colliers consultants estimate that Romania may reach a stock of 10-12 million square meters of modern industrial and logistic areas until the end of the decade, if present tendencies continue.   Romania may consolidate its role of regional industrial hub, not only for logistics and distribution, but also for light industry, car parts, electronics, aerospace, e-commerce and high value added tax activities.   Thus, for investors and developers, the local market remains one of the most interested because it still has an important difference to recover versus more developed neighbor economies.   For the locals, Romania is offering a combination, hard to ignore, betweem competitive costs, geographic position, access to west-European markets and regional development potential.   The report is based on the evaluation of all the 1,160 NUTS-3 areas in EU, according to seven relevant criteria for decisions of industial localization: labor force, scale, costs, stimuli, business, industrial development and accessibility.   Colliers is a global company for professional services and investment management, with a diversified business model which operates by means of three top platforms in industry: real estate services, engineering and investment management.