SCF Investment Partners enters Romanian market with retail park acquisition

SCF Investment Partners has made a significant move by acquiring two retail parks in Romania, marking its entry into the local market. The transaction, valued at nearly 40 million euros, was completed with the developer RC Europe and involves the properties NEST Miercurea Ciuc and NEST Moinești.

The total leasable area of the two parks is approximately 24,000 square meters. Among these, NEST Miercurea Ciuc stands out as the largest, offering around 18,000 square meters of commercial space. This park, developed in stages completed in 2020 and 2022, also features a multi-level parking facility with 463 spaces.

NEST Miercurea Ciuc boasts a strong tenant mix, including well-known brands such as Lidl, JYSK, Altex, and KFC, maintaining an impressive occupancy rate above 98%. On the other hand, NEST Moinești, opened in December 2024, caters to a catchment area of approximately 60,000 residents and has nearly 6,000 square meters of leasable area with 170 parking spaces, achieving an occupancy rate exceeding 96%.

This acquisition integrates the parks into SCF's newly launched sub-fund, SCF CROP, which focuses on retail park investments in the region. The decision by RC Europe to sell these assets aligns with their portfolio optimization strategy, which emphasizes new developments primarily in Croatia and the Czech Republic.

Retail parks have become the dominant format for new developments in Romania over recent years, representing over 70% of retail space delivered between 2022 and 2023. The transaction was financed by J&T Banka, with legal advice from Filip & Company and commercial consultancy from iO Partners, while Gleeds provided technical due diligence and TPA offered fiscal and financial consulting services.