Cologne's wholesale centre in Raderberg will close for good at the end of 2025. An attempt by the SPD, Linke and FDP parliamentary groups to keep the wholesale centre open until 2030 failed to gain a majority in the council at the last meeting before the summer break. They had called for continued operation because no solution had yet been found for the future of the market. At the next council meeting on 1 October, politicians are to repeal the regulations in Cologne's market statutes that affect the wholesale market. This is according to a draft resolution from the administration.
The central wholesale market hall with its characteristic corrugated roof
The urban development project Parkstadt Süd is to be built on the 115-hectare site in Raderberg. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2032, by which time buildings are to be demolished and areas unsealed. The wholesale centre business has recently been deteriorating. A third of the total space is no longer in use. By the end of this year, a further 1.5 hectares will no longer be available due to the pending return of heritable building rights.
Wholesalers launch petition
"Everything that the traders have contributed here with personal and financial commitment, including tasks that were actually the responsibility of the city administration, has been ruthlessly wiped away by the same people," writes Michael Rieke, spokesperson for the wholesale market traders, in a statement. "This is about much more than just preserving Cologne's wholesale market as one of the last free markets for fresh food in the region and as a unique and important link in a value chain that is independent of the food corporations."
"It is therefore time to put the city administration and the responsible politicians in their place and set an example. For this reason, a petition has been launched under the following link," continues Rieke.
For more information:
www.koelner-grossmarkt.de/themen/koelner-grossmarkt
www.lnkd.in/eaBjdJsX