Grossmarkt Dortmund

Grossmarkt Dortmund (Großmarkt Dortmund) is the wholesale market of the city of Dortmund in Germany's Ruhr region. It is a physical trading venue where wholesalers and importers specialize in highly perishable foods from around the world, with fruit, vegetables and fresh fish as its core product areas. According to its own information, the market supplies roughly 3.5 million end consumers, and its customers include independent retailers, weekly-market traders, hotels and restaurants, chain outlets, and bulk consumers such as hospitals, care homes, snack businesses and canteens. The market traces its origins to the late 19th century, when fruit and vegetable trading in Dortmund began to take on wholesale-like character. A closed municipal wholesale market was established in 1922 in the city centre, but it was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War. The present site was built by the city between 1951 and 1952 on the grounds of the former Dortmund-Süd railway station at Heiligen Weg 60, on an area of more than 58,000 m². Its pavilion-style halls, known as the "Dortmund Model", separated goods delivery at the rear from sales at the front, a layout that was copied elsewhere in Europe. In 1976 the 25 participating individual businesses organized themselves into Großmarkt Dortmund eG, a registered cooperative, which acquired the site and buildings from the city for 2.5 million DM and has operated the market on a private basis since then. The cooperative's members are the companies based at the market. In 1989/90 the sales halls were fundamentally modernized and renovated, and a materials-sorting facility was built for recycling market waste. Today the market presents itself as a modern international fresh-produce centre that has evolved from a pure intermediary trade function into a combined trading, service and commercial centre. Its wholesalers and importers perform classic wholesale functions such as sales and sales promotion, purchasing facilitation and assortment assembly, quantity breaking, storage and transport, financing and risk-taking, and the provision of market information, training and advice. The Grossmarktschänke, a market tavern with night-time opening hours, has long been a meeting point for traders and night owls.

Wholesale-like fruit and vegetable trading in Dortmund began around the end of the 19th century. Traders increasingly withdrew from the usual weekly markets and conducted their business near loading stations and railway tracks. A closed wholesale market under municipal management was established in 1922 in the middle of the city, but it had no rail connection. Plans for a new building were thwarted by the Second World War, and the city-centre facilities were destroyed by bombs. Between 1951 and 1952 the city of Dortmund built a new wholesale market on federal railway land at the Dortmund-Süd station, on a site of more than 58,000 m² at Heiligen Weg 60. The construction company Hanebeck erected pavilion-style halls, the so-called "Dortmund Model", which was imitated several times in Europe in the following years. Goods were delivered by rail or truck at the rear of the halls, while sales took place at the front directly to customers, creating the basic precondition for smooth and rapid goods turnover. The expectations placed in the project were fully met, as steadily rising goods turnover showed. The architecture of the 1950s is still visible today, for example at the entrance building. In 1976 the 25 participating individual businesses organized themselves into Großmarkt Dortmund eG, a registered cooperative whose members are the companies based at the market. The city of Dortmund sold the facilities for 2.5 million DM to the cooperative, which has since operated the market on a private basis. In 1989/90 the sales halls were modernized and renovated. A materials-sorting facility was built for the disposal of market waste, and the water and electricity supply as well as road and parking surfaces were renovated or renewed. Within the organizational framework of the cooperative, the companies based at the market conduct their import and wholesale operations. Over time the historical function of pure intermediary trade changed into a trading, service and commercial centre with all facets of a modern international fresh-produce centre. The market's wholesalers and importers perform generic wholesale functions including sales and sales promotion, purchasing facilitation and assortment assembly, quantity breaking, storage and transport, financing and risk-taking, and the provision of market information, training and advice. The market supplies about 3.5 million end consumers, with fruit and vegetables worth around 250 million euros turned over and an annual goods volume of about 200,000 tonnes. Its most important customers are 1,100 independent and weekly-market traders, hotels, restaurants, chain outlets, hospitals and care homes, as well as snack businesses and canteens. The Grossmarktschänke, a market tavern, has been and remains a meeting point for market and retail traders as well as night owls because of its night-time opening hours.

• 1990

  Modernization and renovation completed.

• 1989

  Modernization and renovation of sales halls begins; materials-sorting facility built.

• 1976

  Großmarkt Dortmund eG founded by 25 market businesses; cooperative acquires site and buildings for 2.5 million DM.

• 1952

  New wholesale market with pavilion-style halls ("Dortmund Model") completed.

• 1951

  Construction of the new wholesale market begins on federal railway land at Dortmund-Süd station.

• 1922

  First closed municipal wholesale market established in Dortmund city centre.

Modern international fresh-produce centre offering freshness, variety and quality to qualified food retail, gastronomy and bulk consumers.

• Fruit

• Vegetables

• Fresh fish

• Imported perishable foods

1. 1GROSSMARKT DORTMUNDgrossmarkt-dortmund.de
2. 2Über uns – GROSSMARKT DORTMUNDgrossmarkt-dortmund.de
3. 3Geschichte – GROSSMARKT DORTMUNDgrossmarkt-dortmund.de
4. 4Grossmarkt Dortmund – Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Großmarkt Dortmund – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org