Thomas Franz - owner of the fruit company of the same name calls a restructuring of the wholesale market 'a much-needed step'. “What we currently have is not sustainable. Our previous landlord -BGM- is not concerned with the interests of the marketers, only in the annual profits. The conditions have worsened in recent years: an example of this is that the wholesalers have no allocated parking as before. Of course, when you are doing business here, that is catastrophic. In addition, today's landlord has already announced a doubling or even tripling of the current rents. Meat companies with large rental spaces in particular will be destroyed by this. I'm also a tenant in the meat hall, because we prepare convenience products there. These are dramatic circumstances, of course.”
In addition to the administrative structure and the future rental prices, promotion and the product range of the wholesale market area should also be modernized and extended as far as possible. Franz: "The wholesale market could be more diverse. We have a company in the district of Kreuzberg, where delicatessen are produced on several hundred square metres. Companies like these are much too limited by the size of the current halls while we in fact want to offer them a much larger area to expand, so that they can develop. This means that in this production area we would like to offer young start-up companies some units. This way, innovations and modern craftsmanship, always regarding fresh food, would have the opportunity to develop here, with us. In addition, we want to create new concepts: for example, an open house or a local gastronomy where you can look at the products directly.”
Luca Pellegrini - Owner of Freshness From Italy UG is largely of the same opinion. “According to my information, there are still many requests from new traders who want to rent a stall. Nonetheless, there is currently no variety here in the fruit hall. At any rate, a restructuring would be a step forward. The hypermarket of the future should, in my view, be more of an adventurous market, like the Rungis Grand Market in Paris. I live for my job, and if everyone would do the same, there could be a great change.”
Ways to improve
His colleague Björn Weihe, from the company of the same name, has been a member of the fruit market cooperative for decades; the association of fruit merchants from which today’s interest group came forth. "Personally, I believe that the wholesale market is already very diversified, but there are still opportunities for improvement. To many Berlin residents, the wholesale market is not known at all.” With regard to the restructuring proposals, he also points to the condition of the meat hall. “The fruit hall was reasonably well restructured 10 years ago, but at the meat market there are much bigger problems. That's why I'm curious how the politicians will take up these issues and I hope that people will somehow push things back on the right track.”
For more information:
Alfred Franz - Import, Großhandel & Lieferservice
Inhaber: Thomas Franz
Fruchthof Berlin
fon: +49 (0) 30 396021-0
fax: +49 (0) 30 396021-30
Freshness Fromitaly U.G.
Inh. Luca Pellegrini
Fruchthof Berlin
Fon. +49 3041992319
Fax. 00493041992938
Web: www.fromitalyweb.com
WEIHE GmbH
Inh. Björn Weihe
Fruchthof Berlin
Telefon: (030) 39 89 0-0
Fax: (030) 39 89 0-200
E-Mail: kontakt@weihe.de
Web: www.weihe.de