Cologne wholesale market: 130 years of tradition - retailers are looking for new ways!

Cologne wholesale market: 130 years of tradition - retailers are looking for new ways!

Poll, Deutschland - The Cologne wholesale market in Raderthal is facing significant change. After 130 years, the traditional Zimmermann company, known for its fruit trade, has finally cleared its stands in the wholesale market hall. Pino Aronica from the company emphasizes that the company continues to supply from its own cooling line on the wholesale market, but the move is another sign of the upcoming changes. The hall, which has played a central role in the delivery of 5,000 customers from gastronomy and retail since its opening, is no longer up to date and urgently needs to be renovated, as has already been determined in 2018 when cracks and signs of wear have been documented. This renovation is in direct connection with the planned move to the west of Cologne to Marsdorf, which is said to have been completed by the end of 2025, but has so far only progressed slowly, as wdr

What happens to the wholesale market hall? The Cologne Council decided in 2007 to move the area to Marsdorf, but since then there has been little progress. The city had to admit that business development was little success in the search for new land. Some dealers offered their support to independently find new locations in districts such as Gremberghoven and Poll. However, the outdated hall is not simply shut down; Instead, there are plans to develop the old wholesale market hall in Raderthal as part of the “Parkstadt Süd” project and to build a “market hall for everyone” that should be open to the public 24rhein and City of Cologne.

An era comes to an end

The wholesale market has a long history. He was opened in 1940 at his current location in the Bonnntor and has developed into an economic backbone of the region. Around 300,000 tons of goods are sold there every year, which underlines the enormous importance of the market. The construction quality of the hall, which was built in the 1930s, is considered exemplary, not least because of the shell construction, which still gives the building stability today. But times have changed and the requirements for modern trading places have increased. The noticeable damage, which may even be due to the effects of war, make a move inevitable.

The challenges that the dealers are now standing should not be underestimated. While the wholesale market is in resolution, weekly market dealers and restaurateurs will inevitably travel through the entire city in order to do their purchases. This will not only affect your daily processes, but also the entire structure of sales in Cologne. In addition, the nearest wholesale market remains as a central point of contact in Venlo, in neighboring Netherlands, which could increase the dependence on foreign markets.

Overall, the wholesale market in Cologne faces an uncertain future. The move to Marsdorf could bring a breath of fresh air, but until it is time it remains to be seen how the transition phase is organized and which solutions are found for the dealers. However, one thing is certain: the history of the Cologne wholesale market is far from over.