Representatives from Hamburg Wholesale Market (Grossmarkt Hamburg) are set to return to Berlin in 2011 with renewed confidence in the future of the fresh produce centre, having recently completed a major revamp of its city centre premises and at the same time continuing to diversify its commercial activities in order to ensure the facility’s future survival.
Originally built in 1962 and now listed as an industrial monument, the wholesale market hall has been notably renovated in the past year, with a new façade and vast roof covering some 50,000m2 now illuminated by a total of 2,800 new ceiling light fittings.
According to marketing and communications manager Michaela Grangladen, the work done to the centre reflects the feeling that the market is managing to adapt successfully to new ways of working in the international fruit, vegetable and flower trade.
“The project has been a success: work was completed ahead of schedule, there was no budget over-run, hygiene has been improved and energy consumption considerably reduced,” she tells Eurofruit Magazine.
“One result of this work has been that, in recognition of its environment friendliness, the wholesale market has been awarded one of Hamburg’s ökoprofit enterprise certificates for 2010.”
In addition to refurbishing and improving the physical structure of the market as well as its environmental credentials, the Grossmarkt Hamburg management team is now pursuing a policy of commercial diversification, adding new economic strings to their bow.
“For example, the annual Hamburg Food Market, a culinary event for the general public, has already been held five times,” says Ms Grangladen.
“In summer, meanwhile, the Harley Days event attracted some 600,000 people, including 50,000 bikers, and on 4-5 December a rather unusual event was held in the Wholesale Market hall: the Holy Shit Shopping event – a Christmas market featuring 150 young artists and designers.”
The success of these events has reportedly encouraged the Grossmark Hamburg management to consider other potential ways to make the most of the available space and opening the wholesale market site for new kinds of uses.
Torsten Berens, managing director, says: “As we seek to take the wholesale market forward, our experiences with the process of partially opening the market to consumers are increasingly proving positive.”
The wholesale market’s new marketing concept certainly takes this realisation into account.
In addition to the familiar and popular education programmes centred around the concept of healthy eating, a major campaign has been launched to tell consumers all about the benefits of fresh produce from Hamburg Wholesale Market itself.
