Hungary's construction output in March was 11.5% higher than in the previous month, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Thursday. Hungary’s construction industry has corrected the February slump and the rising trend remained unbroken, but the pre-crisis peaks are still some way off.

Hungarian state-owned NIPÜF Group has completed another sales transaction with the sale of a nearly 3 ha plot in the Inpark Martonvásár industrial park, located southwest of Budapest. A Hungarian chemical company will build a 4,000 sqm production hall on the property by 2022.

GTC’s rental and service revenues decreased by €3.8 million to €37 million in Q1 2021 from €41 million in Q1 2020. Profit before tax and fair value adjustments for Q1 2021 reached €15 million, up from €13 million in Q1 2020. The company published its financial results for Q1 2021.

The latest EBI Construction Activity Report has found that the stagnation of the total value of started construction works has not stopped. Between January and March 2021, construction works in the sector started on HUF 421 billion. This, although not greatly different from the values seen in the previous three quarters, is still the lowest Activity Start indicator of the last two years. Compared to the January-March periods of the previous two years, 2021 started clearly weaker: against the positive Q1 2020, the decline was about 35%, but even over the same period in 2019, there is a 15% decrease.

Panattoni is entering a new market. The company has announced the opening of an office in Hungary, headed by László Kemenes. He will be responsible for the development of speculative and big-box projects in Hungary, from the site acquisition and investment preparation, through to the commercialisation of the projects and their transfer to their eventual tenants. The developer already has two projects secured in the Budapest market.

Real estate group Duna House estimates the number of residential property deals completed in Hungary to have reached 13,511 in April 2021. Although this is a slight decrease compared to the pre-pandemic peak in the same month of 2019, overall it is still the third strongest April in the last ten years.

Cushman & Wakefield has summarised the first quarter of 2021 in the CEE commercial real estate market. Investment volume at the end of the first quarter stands at €2 billion, down by around 20% compared to the same period in 2020.

Gergely Biró is the new CEO of Hungary’s OTP Real Estate Fund Management. The aim of the change is to further increase the fund manager's share in the domestic market with new, innovative investment solutions following the consolidation of the portfolio and to enter the regional markets with its products in the coming years.

Deutsche Hospitality has opened its first IntercityHotel in Budapest. The 312-room hotel, realised by the Hamburg-based B&L Group, will be Deutsche Hospitality's first property in Hungary. Located right next to Keleti Railway Station, it will also feature resplendent latest generation IntercityHotel interior design by the Milan-based architect Matteo Thun.

EuroCenter owner and developer Wing has selected Bernecker Kft. to carry out general contractor tasks for the modernisation of the 46,000 sqm shopping centre located in the northern Buda area. The shopping centre has closed for the duration of the renovations and is scheduled to reopen in spring 2022, boasting a modern appearance and ready to meet 21st-century customer demands. Construction work begins in late April.