The Vienna wholesale market is Austria's most important wholesale location for food and flowers. However, due to the coronavirus an important customer segment has been lost. Instead, retailers are now focusing on home deliveries. In principle, the wholesale market still supplies fruit and vegetables. "Local deliveries continue on ongoing basis. And international deliveries are also still taking place at present," fruit and vegetable wholesaler Erich Haller told "Wien heute".
Delivery to gastronomy has stopped
Many supermarkets and smaller shops are supplied from the wholesale market. And before the coronavirus crisis, there were also many catering businesses among them. "Because the restaurant business has closed, there is no longer any demand. But apart from that, there are still enough fruit and vegetables available, and they are still being bought," says Stephan Barisits, managing director of the wholesale market.
After the closure of the restaurants, some traders have feared for their existence. A company at the wholesale market has therefore started an alternative initiative. "I said to my husband: We once had the idea of household delivery. We have to do it now," says Cindy Luisser-Haller from fruit and vegetable traders "Obsthaus".
Fruit wholesaler Erich Haller / Picture: Obsthaus Haller
"Delivery is contactless""
And so they switched from catering customers to home deliveries. Around 5,000 orders have now been received. "The entire delivery process is contactless. That means our customers do not need to sign a delivery note. Everything is done by e-mail. And we put the order right outside their doors," says fruit and vegetable wholesaler Erich Haller.
The trader does not have to send employees on short-time work. "We are stocking up. And the inquiries are even so large that we pass them on to our colleagues in the industry. On the one hand to support the industry, but also to ensure that customers get the goods faster," says Haller. But declines in sales are still unavoidable. After all, approaching many addresses with smaller deliveries is more personnel- and time-intensive than large deliveries for a few large catering companies.
Source: ORF.atFor more information:
www.grossmarkt-wien.at
www.obsthaus.at