Mehmet Middik is one of the dozen retailers who moved into the brand-new ABA Köln Frische Centrum at the turn of the year. "We find a modern and, above all, clean facility here," says Middik, who took over the GoWi company ten years ago and primarily serves walk-in customers with a wide range of products.
"We are very optimistic and look to the future with confidence. The customers we've been working with for years have largely remained loyal to us, and many synergies continue to emerge at the new location as well," says Middik, referring to the variety of products he and his fellow merchants offer on-site.
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
Mehmet Middik at the new location in the ABA Köln Frische Centrum
Difficult market conditions shape the mood on the ground
Despite this optimism, the market situation has not exactly improved in recent months. On the contrary, Middik confirms. "Many products, such as tomatoes, broccoli, and pointed cabbage, feel pricier than ever before, regardless of their country of origin."
Even the Ramadan period, which ended on March 19, did not lead to a significant boost in sales. "We have a broad customer base, only a portion of which consists of ethnic buyers. While we were certainly able to sell slightly more of certain products like watermelons, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and the like. Since we're new to this location, of course, I think it's still too early to really assess the sales results. We won't conduct a detailed analysis of Ramadan-season sales until next year," he concludes.
For more information:
Mehmet Middik
GoWi Fruchthandelsgesellschaft mbH
Josef-Linden-Weg 6
D-51149 Cologne
T: +49 221 380060
[email protected]
