Kaufland turns stores in Eastern Romania city into mini-malls

German retailer Kaufland has introduced food court areas and the Open Mall concept in its hypermarkets in Iasi, one of the biggest cities in Eastern Romania. The retailer first introduced the Open Mall concept in Romania this summer, in a hypermarket in Bucharest. This new concept involves the opening of a new shopping area outside the store. Thus, special outdoor containers were placed in the parking lot of hypermarkets, to be used by Kaufland tenants. They have glass walls and host currency exchange and telecom services shops, press centers, and pharmacies. In total, the Kaufland hypermarkets include over 15 shops. The German retailer has also opened food court areas in its hypermarkets in Iasi, where visitors can find street-food restaurants The Box and Sweet Blanca, coffee shops, and pizza restaurants. The hypermarkets in Iasi also have redesigned interiors. Moreover, the store on Pacurari street has upgraded cash registers, equipped with ultra-fast scanners. Kaufland Romania also announced in mid-July that it was turning its stores’ roofs, parking lots, and plots of land located near schools into green spaces where people can grow vegetables, fruits, aromatic plants or flowers. The retailer currently operates 116 stores in Romania. It is one of the largest European retailers, with over 1,250 stores in seven countries. Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com