If you do your shopping in downtown Budapest, you may have noticed some changes at units of the Rothschild supermarket chain. Among them is the fact that they aren't really called "Rothschild" anymore. Also, they may have gotten even worse than they were when they were called "Rothschild."

Late last month, business daily Napi Gazdaság revealed that the chain had changed hands last November. The new owner is Belvárosi-Szupermarket Élelmiszerkereskedelmi Kft ("Inner City Supermarket Food Trade"), which is run by one József Zoltay.

Oddly, there seems to have been no big announcement at the time, and few in the local supermarket business even knew of the sale. Even today you can go to the store on Arany János utca in District V and see the "Rothschild" name still plastered on the windows and in various places inside, though it is slowly giving way to that of the Reál Hungária Élelmiszer co-op brand.

Aside from the central location of the chain's five outlets, what makes the whole thing notable is that Rothschild had for years been regarded as the "pearl" of the profession, selling products unavailable at other domestic chains.

Despite this reputation, however, it had long become clear that the place wasn't much of a gem. The Arany János utca outlet seemed particularly sad given its prime spot. Indeed, for some months before the takeover it often looked like the place was getting ready to close, as shelves went unstocked and the place in general starting looking more like something you'd find on the outskirts of Minsk than in center of the business district of an EU capital. (The Napi piece says the firm, which goes back to 1991, most recently showed a profit of Ft 10 million - around €38,000 - on turnover of roughly Ft 2 billion.)

Unfortunately, judging from a few trips to this branch over the last week, it doesn't look like the new owner is going to restore the chain to whatever former glory it once enjoyed. The veggies were limp, the staff listless and the windows and walls cluttered with photocopied notices. Most telling of all, they not only have decided to shorten their opening hours on Saturdays, but "communicated" the decision by crudely covering the "16:00" with a piece of tape saying "14:00." Might as well have just gotten it over with and closed it down altogether.