Kaufland will not enter the Hungarian market

The company responded to a request from Világgazdaság after news spread on social media that Kaufland would open its first domestic store in Gyöngyös in early 2026. According to the chain’s official response, these reports are unfounded.

Andrea Kübler, Kaufland’s head of corporate communications, emphasized that the company regularly examines different countries for expansion, but at the same time Hungary is not currently included in their specific growth plans. The company did not provide detailed information about the terms and criteria for its expansion.

Kaufland is currently present in eight European countries – including Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia – with a total of nearly 1,600 stores. The chain achieved sales of 35.2 billion euros in 2024 and employs around 157,000 people. Its parent company, Schwarz Group, also owns Lidl.

Previous social media posts predicted the opening of a smaller, urban Kaufland store in Gyöngyös, but these posts contained unreferenced, unverified information and fictitious speakers. The chain’s official statement has now made it clear that Kaufland’s appearance in Hungary is not relevant in the short term.

Kaufland is also testing smaller store formats on an experimental basis in other markets – such as the Czech Republic – which suggests that the chain is still looking for flexible growth opportunities, but these do not yet affect Hungary.