News and articles
New Year’s Eve: shortened opening hours in stores – general store closure on January 1
Opening hours vary greatly from chain to chain on December 31st, with many stores closing earlier than usual. Stores are typically closed on January 1st. The year 2026 will start...
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Tejföl is only a name for live flora: new categories for sour dairy products will be introduced from 2026
From January 1, 2026 (three days after promulgation), a regulatory change may take effect that clarifies what the name “sour cream” (tejföl) can mean on the Hungarian market. Under the...
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Sausage prices before New Year’s Eve: cheap entry, expensive premium – how big is the gap on the shelves?
On New Year’s Eve, demand for frankfurters rises sharply, and this period highlights just how split the category has become: between lower-priced products—typically private-label and poultry-based—and premium, higher-meat, pork-based frankfurters,...
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Hungarian wine industry in danger
The year 2025 will not simply remain a difficult season in the Hungarian grape and wine sector, but also a warning: while climate risks (primarily drought) make production increasingly unpredictable,...
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New Year’s Eve: fireworks sales near record high, imports still heavily dependent on China
The German pyrotechnics market is once again ending the year with a strong year-end boom: according to industry expectations, New Year’s Eve sales could increase by 10–15% compared to 2024,...
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PENNY announces dairy product price hike
PENNY is freezing the prices of nearly 70 popular dairy products in January. This way, customers can start the new year with extra savings in addition to the usual budget-friendly...
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Inditex: Zara group may close 100+ stores worldwide, focus on larger, more techy stores
The Inditex group (Zara) is significantly reorganizing its retail network worldwide, and in parallel with the closure of less profitable units, it is directing its investments into larger, more modern...
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How to prepare for the holidays with your four-legged friend
The holiday season is not only exciting for us, but also for our special four-legged companions. The hustle and bustle of Christmas, the crowds of guests, the trips, and the...
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Jim Beam: main distillery to shut down for a year – record number of barrels, bourbon market losing momentum
Effective January 1, 2026, Jim Beam will suspend bourbon brewing at its main distillery in Clermont, Kentucky for at least one year. The brand, owned by Suntory Global Spirits, is...
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Same basket, different purchasing power: Lidl price test highlights European differences
In Europe, not only do food prices vary dramatically from country to country, but also how much the same basic basket “hurts” compared to local wages – a comparison conducted...
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7 billion New Year’s Eve Super Lottery: traffic has increased, lottery operators are preparing for longer opening hours
Interest in the New Year’s Eve Super Lottery has increased manifold: in the draw to be held on January 1st, at 0:20, 7 billion forints are at stake, which is...
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Revolut: cash payments at OMV wells will be discontinued – the function will be permanently discontinued from January 26th
Revolut’s Hungarian cash deposit pilot has ended: the fintech launched the service in December 2023 in cooperation with Paysafe, at OMV gas stations, but only made it available to a...
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Michelin Guide: Rumour by Jenő Rácz is the standard-bearer of the “counter dining” experience in Budapest
The Michelin Guide’s year-end international compilation (“The World’s Best Chef’s Table Restaurants: 14 MICHELIN Guide Picks”) also includes Rumour by Jenő Rácz, thus Budapest is also included in the list...
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HUN-REN: South coast ports could become an ecological “trap” in winter – risk of oxygen deficiency and fish kills
According to HUN-REN’s Balaton Limnological Research Institute, the large, dredged and heavily sheltered marina basins built in recent years along Lake Balaton’s southern shore can act as wintering refuges where...
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The ski season has started in the two largest domestic ski resorts
On December 29th, the Eplény Ski Arena Vibe Park officially opened, making one of the two largest ski parks in the domestic market now welcoming guests. According to the information,...
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2025 was a black year for the Hungarian food industry: product lines under pressure on multiple fronts
Price increases, margin freezes, import pressure and cost shocks simultaneously strained the Hungarian food industry in 2025. Meanwhile, production risks did not subside in the product pipelines, and the regulatory...
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The GVH imposed fines of more than 3.7 billion forints on 29 companies in 2025
While the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) granted more than 3.3 billion forints in fine reductions to companies that cooperated and sought to comply with the law in 2025, the office’s...
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Hungary’s economy in 2025: recovery from slowdown, weaker forint and the increasing importance of corporate strategic decisions 2026 will be a test of resilience
The year 2025 confirmed that the Hungarian economy is gradually recovering from a period of deep slowdown caused by record high inflation, tight monetary policy and a weaker European economic...
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NAK: it’s worth buying Hungarian sausages on New Year’s Eve too
It is worth buying Hungarian sausages on New Year’s Eve, because the products of domestic producers can be checked – the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) told MTI on Monday....
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Pop Mart shares hit by news of weakening Labubu demand
Pop Mart, which sells Labubu figures, fell by 6.2%, the most in weeks, after international media reported that demand for Labubu had fallen, Bloomberg reported. According to reports, the selling...
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MOHU Budapest: the usual waste collection schedule will be in place on the last day of the year and the first day of the new year
MOHU Budapest Zrt. informs the public that it will continue to collect municipal and selective waste in Budapest and the agglomeration settlements during the New Year holiday period as usual....
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Shopper Park Plus acquires eight retail parks in Poland
Shopper Park Plus Plc. (SPP)’s eight Polish-registered subsidiaries are acquiring eight retail parks located in Poland from Auchan Polska Sp. Z.o.o. and Ceetrus Polska Sp. Z.o.o from the sellers –...
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Digital overhead is an increasingly serious item in the family budget
A few clicks and your monthly bill is already tens of thousands of forints. The combined costs of video content, music, games, mobile internet and other digital services have now...
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These will be the most anticipated electric cars of 2026
The popularity of electric vehicles continues to grow, thanks to increasingly affordable purchase prices, extensive education on propulsion and government incentives, and 2026 holds exciting new developments in the segment....
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Tomb, museum and liquor factory shortlisted for the title of the world’s most beautiful brick building
The shortlist for the 2026 BRICK AWARD has been announced. The biennial architectural competition is a competition where the most beautiful and innovative brick buildings from around the world compete....
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Crowds return to stores: margin cap and year-end preparations drive retail traffic
Retail activity shows no sign of slowing after Christmas. According to feedback from retail employees and trade union representatives, store traffic remains exceptionally strong in the period between the holidays,...
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The kings of the New Year’s Eve list: hot dogs and champagne in abundance
Demand for hot dogs has remained stable in recent years, while New Year’s Eve remains one of the busiest times of the year: in the last weeks of December, hot...
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The Alföldi Tej case is drifting towards an uncertain outcome
The story of the sale – and then the non-sale – of Alföldi Tej has been going on for months, and it is providing more and more lessons about the...
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The second big rush in department stores comes between the two holidays
In the days following Christmas, stores almost run the same business as before the holidays, as people exchange clothes and products they received as gifts in droves. There are also...
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A robot dog moved to Westend
A special four-legged guest awaits visitors at Westend MediaMarkt between the two holidays. A high-tech robot dog has arrived at the store, which not only walks and waves, but is...
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