First Leroy Merlin in Romania opens within Bucharest's Colosseum this week

The first Leroy Merlin do-it-yourself unit in Romania will open on Thursday, September 15, in the Chitila neighborhood of Bucharest, part of the Colosseum shopping center. The 16,500-sqm Leroy Merlin is part of the first phase of the shopping mall, and the second part will be finalized in November 2011, with the opening of the Carrefour hypermarket and shopping gallery, according to the developers, Nova Imobiliare, controlled by Panico Panayi. Leroy Merlin is part of the French Adeo Group, number 4 worldwide on the home-improvement and gardening market, active in 12 countries. Besides the 53,000 sqm retail park, the Colosseum project will include a shopping mall over 137,000 sqm, with 480 shops. Contruction works on the mall, which will also be delivered in several phases, will start in the spring of 2012 and will be finalized in 2016. The total investment in the Colosseum project is of EUR 350 million. The Leroy Merlin and the Carrefour store phase will require an investment of EUR 90 million, according to previous statements. The do-it-yourself store should have been opened in August, according to previous announcements. Corina Saceanu, corina@romania-insider.com (photo copyright: Corina Saceanu/Romania-Insider.com)