Over the past decade, Hungarian real estate investors have successfully expanded outside of their home market. Firms such as Wing, Futureal, Adventum, Indotek and others have become major players in many European countries, mainly Poland and Romania. They managed to expand via acquisitions of both companies and projects. Part of their funds came from bond issues in Hungary within the Bond Funding for Growth Scheme of the National Bank of Hungary. We have prepared a timeline of the notable transactions and an overview of the market’s key players to provide a better understanding of this trend.

Indotek Group has announced the strategic acquisition of Galleria Porta Siena on LinkedIn. Galleria Porta Siena, a prime commercial property located in the heart of Siena, joins the group's growing portfolio of Italian retail assets.

Half of the hotel investors in CEE already address ESG in their transaction due diligence, and 40% are in the process of including it, says Cushman & Wakefield in their newest report.

Hungary's office market has slowed down, tenants are more cautious. Sadly, it often results in drawn-out decision-making as tenants focus on safe solutions, fearing the unpredictability of the future. In consequence, there are more renewals and fewer relocations. However, demand for experienced advisors providing high-added value is ever-growing, as the alternative – rectifying a poor lease contract after it is signed – is difficult and expensive, says Valter Kalaus, Managing Partner of Newmark VLK Hungary.

Just a few months after the handover of the first 21,000 sqm speculative industrial and logistics hall of IGPark Kecskemét South, Infogroup started the construction of a new building. The new hall is scheduled to be handed over in q4 2024.

Negotiations with Indotek Group have resulted in the sale of 100% of the Hungarian activities of Nhood Services and Ceetrus Hungary to the Hungarian investment group, Nhood Hungary announced. It also confirmed that with this transaction Indotek has acquired a 47% stake in Auchan's Hungarian retail operations. Auchan has an extensive Hungarian network of 19 hypermarkets, 5 supermarkets, and 18 petrol stations.

In Q3 2023, the Greater Budapest speculative stock increased by 140,730 sqm, adding five buildings to the stock. Five new buildings were also handed over in regional cities adding another 92,610 sqm to the stock there. The vacancy rate at the end of Q3 2023 was 10.0% in Greater Budapest, an increase of 140 basis points quarter-on-quarter and an increase of 510 basis points year-on-year, the Budapest Research Forum (BRF) reports.

Austrian developers and construction companies show a good example of how to realise truly sustainable buildings. Green residential projects are not a goal, but practice in Austria, says Rudolf Riedl, Managing Director of SÜBA Hungary who also shared his opinion on the shortcomings of the Hungarian real estate market.

The office vacancy rate in Budapest increased to 13.2%, representing a 0.6 pps growth quarter-on-quarter and a 2.2 pps increase year-on-year. Two smaller buildings have been handed over while the demand has increased by 14% compared to the previous quarter, the Budapest Research Forum (BRF) reports.

A new hotel representing a special brand from Accor Group is to open at Ferenc Liszt International Airport, developed by Wing, in cooperation with Budapest Airport, the developer announced. The handover is expected in 2025.