Hungary’s first Mere discount store opens today – if you’re looking for rock-bottom prices, this will be your shop!

After a long wait, Hungary’s first Mere-style store will finally open its doors today – though not under the well-known Russian brand name, but as Basket Plusz Discount Store. The warehouse-style shop in Budapest’s 18th district promises brutally low prices and a rapidly changing range of goods from 3 December onwards.

Following months of speculation, it has now been officially confirmed that the long-anticipated Mere-style discount store will open on Wednesday, 3 December, although interestingly not under the familiar Russian name but as Basket Plusz Discount Store.

A long wait preceded the opening

The store, located at Besence utca 1 in the 18th district, offers a 570-square-metre retail area. According to information obtained by Mindmegette, the technical handover is taking place on 2 December, meaning everything is ready for the 9am opening the next morning.

The warehouse-style shop, promising extremely low prices, has been rumoured for quite some time, as the Russian-backed chain announced back in 2023 that it intended to enter the Hungarian market. Yet the opening date kept being pushed back for unknown reasons.

The reason for the name change remains unclear

There is still no official explanation for the name change, but company documents clearly show that the unit previously registered as Mere and the new Basket Plusz store are listed at the same address and under the same site number.

Additionally, the two shops’ logos bear notable similarities in shape and colour scheme. It is also worth noting that the company registering Basket Plusz is TS Retail Kft., the very same entity that has been linked to Mere’s Hungarian expansion from the beginning.