No commercial activity took place on the 12th of November in the Central Vegetable Market of Thessaloniki, as the administrative council of the Union of Merchants of the Central Vegetable Market of Thessaloniki decided to keep the stores closed on Wednesday. Thessaloniki's market is the second-largest fruit and vegetable wholesale marketplace in Greece and plays a decisive role in the export of Greek products to neighboring Balkan markets, such as Cretan greenhouse vegetables and avocados, which are currently being harvested.
© Fotis Karabetsos | FreshPlaza.com
Monday evening's meeting of the Merchants' Union.
The decision was made due to the increase in dues paid by the tenants to the Market for the use of its facilities, planned by the board of directors of the Market's governing body, KATH. According to the Union's announcement, the governing body of the Market plans "to increase by 106% (from 80 to 165 euros) the monthly dues paid by the tenants for shared expenses (cleaning, etc.) from 01/01/2026." Moreover, according to the same announcement, KATH plans to "impose an additional fee of 400 euros per store for the same reason, for the period 01/09/2025 to 31/12/2025, and to abolish the charge exemption for the first 30 sq.m. of each outdoor storage space and charge 5 euros per sq.m., starting from the first square meter."
Apart from the 24-hour strike, the merchants' union also decided to organize a peaceful protest rally in front of the headquarters of KATH.
© Fotis Karabetsos | FreshPlaza.com
Monday evening's meeting of the Merchants' Union.
In the Central Vegetable Market of Thessaloniki, 280 fruit and vegetable stores and 24 meat stores are active. According to calculations made by the president of the Merchants' Union, Mr. Yannis Charalampidis, "the new taxes mean an accumulative amount of 500,000 euros. It has already been decided that all operational expenses of the Market, such as cleaning, must be covered exclusively by the merchants' dues, but the new measures will lead to a 25,000-euro surplus." Merchants also mention that KATH is planning to further increase the entrance tolls paid by the Market's buyers.
The controversy between KATH and the tenants of the Market is not new and seems to stem from differing perspectives regarding the use of the space that hosts the market. According to local merchants, KATH intends to make them quit their jobs and vacate their premises in order to change the use of the site.
© Fotis Karabetsos | FreshPlaza.com
Mr. Yannis Charalampidis, president of the Merchants' Union, addressed Monday's meeting.
For more information:
Yannis Charalampidis
Union of Merchants of the Central Vegetable Market of Thessaloniki
Tel: +30 2310 764133, +30 2310 764241
Email: [email protected]
https://sekath.gr/en/
