The location guarantee for the Hamburg wholesale market for fruit, vegetables and flowers will be extended until 31 December 2044, the Hamburg Senate decided today. This gives the companies operating on the municipal site a planning perspective of a further ten years.
Senator for Economic Affairs Michael Westhagemann: “Companies need a clear horizon to make investments and to be able to set the course that is important for them. This is what we are giving the 350 small and medium-sized businesses operating on the wholesale market with the location guarantee until the end of 2044. This strengthens the location, helps to secure jobs and maintain tax revenues. This is good news for Hamburg’s import trade, wholesale and retail companies, as well as producers from Hamburg and the surrounding area.”
Wholesalers in market hall during Freshplaza’s 2018 visit.
Excellent location
Eliane Steinmeyer, Managing Director of Großmarkt Hamburg Obst, Gemüse und Blumen: “This will secure the future of our tenants and the supply of healthy food to the population of northern Germany. For us as the green heart of the city, freshness is what counts most. With its excellent location on the 27-hectare site, the wholesale market has a decisive strategic advantage: directly at the harbour, with the main railway station around the corner and the motorway right on the doorstep, Germany’s largest fresh food centre is optimally connected in terms of transport for both regional producers and products from all over the world.”
Annual turnover worth 2 billion Euros
The wholesale market for fruit, vegetables and flowers has been supplying northern Germany, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe with fresh produce from Hammerbrook for almost 60 years. Today, the catchment area covers about ten million people. The wholesale market is an important source of supply for weekly markets, specialist shops, gastronomy, caterers, hospitals, canteens and supermarkets. The producers and wholesalers are predominantly family businesses, some of which are already in their fourth or fifth generation. Around 1.5 million tonnes of goods with a volume of approximately two billion Euros are currently handled at the Hamburg wholesale market every year.
Continuous supply of fresh product variety
As a municipal enterprise, Hamburg Wholesale Market feels obliged to guarantee a continuous supply of fresh product variety at a central location. This importance is also reflected in the full utilisation of the trading and storage areas. Seven days a week, around the clock, 350 small and medium-sized enterprises with their approximately 3,200 employees ensure that around 6,000 commercial customers receive fruit, vegetables and flowers, both from regional production and from all over the world, in the best quality early in the morning.
As far as it is compatible with the basic supply functions, the site will continue to be open to the city. This will include existing events such as the annual Food Market, open-air concerts and the Mehr Theater project, and other.
For more information: https://www.grossmarkt-hamburg.de/
