HungaryTrends – The week in business and finance

See below main business and financial news from the previous week: 

OPUS AND EPH PARTNER TO ACQUIRE MAJORITY STAKE IN MÁTRAI ERŐMŰ

Opus Global, a listed company of investor Lőrinc Mészáros, and EPH, an integrated energy utility in the Czech Republic, are partnering to indirectly acquire a 72.6 percent stake in power plant Mátrai Erőmű, Opus said.

PM ORBÁN’S FAVOURITE ENTREPRENEUR IS RICHER THAN HABSBURGS WERE

Lőrinc Mészáros is a former gas fitter who became mayor of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s home town Felcsút in 2011. His companies have been winning public tenders in a row since the so called G-day when the friendship and alliance between PM Orbán and biggest government oligarch Lajos Simicska broke up. Mészáros’s wealth has risen from 23 billion (EUR 75M) to 120 billion HUF (385M EUR) in only 12 months last year. Read more HERE.

YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS WHAT HUNGARIANS SPEND MOST ON DURING CHRISTMAS

PCompared to last year, Hungarians spend almost 8% more, an average of 42900 HUF, on Christmas shopping, turns out from a research made on request by CIB Bank. Most people still prefer receiving cash. Read more HERE.

HERE ARE THE DETAILS OF THE 1ST PIZZERIA OF JAMIE OLIVER OPENED IN BUDAPEST

The 1st European member of Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant chain, a pizzeria, is opened where once the Gozsdu Manó Club, better known as GMK, was. So far, he only operated a pizzeria in India. The franchise holder of the restaurant is the same Zsidai Group Ltd. with Zoltán Roy Zsidai that is also responsible for the franchise of Jamie’s Italian restaurant, opened last year in the Buda Castle, the Spíler and the ÉS bistro. Read more HERE.

AMERICAN MICROSOFT ABANDONING HUNGARY BECAUSE OF CORRUPTION

Microsoft’s Hungarian subsidiary was checked recently. Last year, the investigation related to the corrupted business between the Romanian government and the local Microsoft became a nationwide scandal. Microsoft Hungary also has things to explain. Read more HERE.