Fast recent-cycle GDP growth, low unemployment and wage hikes add up to booming conditions for fashion in CEE says Colliers International in its recent research report “ExCEEding Borders – the fashion sector in the CEE-14 countries”,namely Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine.
“As disposable incomes climb continuously towards EU average levels, purchases of fashion apparel and accessories become ever more important as a driver of consumer spending. Fast recent-cycle GDP growth, low unemployment and wage hikes all add up to booming conditions for fashion in CEE presently”, Mark Robinson, Research Specialist, CEE explains.
“Romania is one of the most interesting propositions compared to its neighbours with similar living standards, as it stands out as considerably less developed on the supply side; the country has less than 190 sqm of modern retail spaces for every 1,000 inhabitants compared to over 300 sqm in Poland and Czechia and a figure close to this handle in Hungary”, Silviu Pop, Head of Research at Colliers International Romania added.
What are the report’s key findings?
- Retail sales are growing in the whole region, with a cycle-high level of 11% in Romania in 2017
- Shopping centres dominate the retail industry in the region; the only market in CEE 14, where the high street segment plays a central role is the capital of the Czech Republic – Prague. The biggest shopping centres market in the region is Poland with nearly 500 schemes, totaling 11,8 mn sqm of GLA;
- Fashion anchors in the CEE-14 achieve prime turnover levels of 350-450 EUR/sqm/month;
- CEE is still attracting international retail chains – spectacular debuts are taking place in Poland (Primark), Romania (Victoria’s Secret) and Latvia (Van Graaf) among others. Polish brands are very active in the region, including Sizeer, present in 7 markets (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania);
- In addition to its presence in shopping centres, the fashion sector is also a driver of volumes in ecommerce in the CEE 14 – in four countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland and Czechia) its share in total e-commerce sales exceeds 30%;
Fashion anchors in the CEE markets include H&M, LPP, Inditex, New Yorker, C&A and TK Maxx. Below is a compilation of all the major anchors in the region.