The wholesaler of Lille, alsoknown as MIN de Lomme, opened its doors to the general public this week on theoccasion of its 40th anniversary. Only once before did the companyreveal its inner workings to the outside world: that was ten years earlier, onits 30th birthday.
MIN de Lomme is the only wholesaler in the North ofFrance. It began in 'les Halles' in Lille and moved operations to Lomme in 1972.Now, it boasts a 6 ha. terrain on which 50 sellers can conduct theirbusiness. “And always in perfect harmony,” quips Didier Delmotte, operatingmanager for the past eleven years.
In those eleven years, storage has been updated andexpanded, and walkways have been covered by roofs. 40% of expenses were financedby Lille itself. The changes were sorely needed: MIN de Lomme clientèle has expanded greatly in recent times, and the company has attracted customersfrom as far as Metz and Strasbourg. “Buyers can get produce here that theycan’t find anywhere else,” says Delmotte. “We were happy to show our wide range to visitors last week.”