Real Hypermarket, the Romanian branch, opens today, on Bucharest’s Theodor Pallady boulevard, the biggest hypermarket of its Romanian network, following a EUR 22.8 M investment, representatives of the company announced yesterday, in a press conference.

The store, the fourth in Bucharest and the 25th at national level, covers 14,000 square metres, of which 9,700 sq m are allotted to the actual selling space. The hypermarket will offer over 60,000 products, food and commodities, and will have 48 checkpoints.

The Real store is part of a shopping centre that covers 150,000 square metres and which is to include, as well, a Metro store, a Obi do-it-yourself store, a shopping gallery, underground and on-ground parking, green areas and a pedestrian area.

Real Hypermarket proposes to expand its network by two or three stores a year, relying on an annual investment budget of EUR 80 M, the general manager of the company, Michel Lamoot, stated yesterday. Up to now, the company invested EUR 555 M in the 25 units it owns on national level.

The company intends to expand its own brand portfolio as well, from the approximately 2,000 it owns at the moment. By opening the Real-Policolor store, the amount of investments made in Bucharest will reach approximately EUR 100 M.

Thus, Real created about 1850 jobs for the Capital’s labour market. Last year, Real Hypermarket Romania boasted, despite the recession’s impact on the economy as a whole, a rise in sales, up to EUR 671 M (VAT not included), 5.2 pc higher than its turnover in 2008.