More and More Foreigners in Hungarian Shops

A weaker Forint means that foreigners can shop cheaper in Hungarian shops.

The Hungarian currency (HUF) is sinking to new lows, with the euro crossing the 410 forint level on Wednesday and the dollar above HUF 400.

The weakening forint could make shopping in Hungary cheaper for consumers from neighbouring eurozone countries, such as Slovakia.

The editorial blog of the business news site napi.hu reports from retailers that Hungarian shops along the border have seen an increase in foreign-related sales.

Tesco's press department confirmed this when asked. The chain said some stores along the border are experiencing an increase in sales that can be attributed to foreign shoppers.

Although not because of the forint exchange rate, but because of the price freeze on fuel, retail sales were boosted by petrol tourism in May until foreign car owners were excluded.