A major centre of oil processing, metalworking, machinery construction, of light and food industries in Socialist times, after 1989 Pleven found itself in an economic crisis, with many of the major enterprises (such as the Plama oil refinery) closing or practically ceasing to work. However, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw a revival of light industry and the development of branches such as knitwear and store clothes production. Tourism, which had attracted many people from the Soviet Union prior to 1989, and had experienced a slump in the following years, is on the rise again.
In 2006, unemployment was 12.7%.
The most important economic sectors in Pleven are chemical, textiles and foodstuffs industries, the manufacturing of cement and glass, machine building, tailoring, agriculture, retail and services. The city has seen a number of major foreign investments in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Particularly noticeable is the mass construction of hypermarkets, with three Billa, two Kaufland, two Carrefour (in construction- first one to open in MALL PLEVEN in 2011), twopenny market (1 in construction), DM, Plus (in construction), ELEMAG, METRO, two LIDL (in construction) stores, a Praktiker, bauMax and a number of other hypermarkets being opened as of 2006. The Pleven City Center and central mall pleven mall was opened in 2008. In 2005, the investments in the economy of Pleven amounted to around 250 million leva(around �125 million)
