E.U Commissioner Opens Food Market Congress
19-08-2008 - The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Mariann Fischer Boel, will open the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) 26th Congress to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark from 1-3 October 2008. The congress, hosted by Copenhagen wholesale market, Gronttorvet Kobenhavn A/S will be held under the general theme of: Every business is a growth business as long as you know where to look! Congress discussions will focus on both current and future trends in the food and flower sectors, as well as identify the strengths and opportunities facing food markets today.

 Hamburg Glass Kitchen Competition
18-08-2008 - Three prize winners from Glasgow Education Service's Culinary Excellence Programme - David Thomson and Scott McLerie from Smithycroft Secondary School and Raymond Lafferty from Eastbank Academy - and 3 students from the Glasgow Metropolitan College -Seb Wereski, Arran McCredie and Andy Cruikshank - went out to compete in the Glass Kitchen Competition in Hamburg, Germany on 28 June.

 GFI Apple and Kiwi Promotion Boom
16-07-2008 - Together with marketing partners EOS, Bolzano Chamber of Commerce’s south Tyrolean export organization, and Zespri International Ltd, Germany’s wholesale market association GFI has held 50 successful fruit promotions at street markets, in greengrocer shops, and retail market halls.

 Foundations Laid for New Market in Shenzhen
15-07-2008 - Shenzen, located nearby Hong Kong in the south of China, will boast a new wholesale market 30 hectares in size, with construction due to be finished in 2010. A foundation ceremony carried out for the Shenzhen International Wholesale Market took place earlier this year. The Deputy Secretary of Shenzhen, Mr Liu Yupu, along with Mr Xu Zongheng the Mayor of the City, attended the celebrations along with national and international industry representatives.

 Lille Market Renovation
15-07-2008 - An important renovation programme begun in 2001 designed to improve local competitiveness and provide tenants with new development opportunities is now complete on the 40ha wholesale market in Lille, France. Built in 1972, the existing buildings were enlarged in the renovations, allowing for the construction of 4000 m2 refrigerated stores. Loading refrigerated platforms have also been installed, and a totally new flower hall of 2,000 m2 has been built.

 UK Apple Day
03-07-2008 - London's Borough Market, the Lions Part Theatre Company and Southwark Cathedral are uniting this year to celebrate UK Apple Day on Sunday 26th October 2008. Apple Day will be marked by Southwark Cathedral in the Choral Eucharist at 11.00am on Sunday 26th October. Together with Borough Market stallholders the Flower Guild at the Cathedral will deck the Cathedral with special displays using apples and market produce.

 New Copenhagen Market
03-07-2008 - A Danish construction consortium under the leadership of E. Pihl & Søn has won the EU invitation for tenders for the development of ‘Copenhagen Markets’ in Høje Taastrup, Denmark. This market will replace the current wholesale market ‘Grønttorvet’ in Copenhagen, which is the host market for this year’s WUWM 26th Congress.

 WUWM Retail Conference Results in Declaration
16-06-2008 - The recent WUWM Retail Conference held from 12-14 June in Hamburg, Germany resulted in a WUWM Declaration which highlighted the important role of retail markets in EU economies and communities. Figures show that at least 25,000 retail markets operate in the European Union, with more than 450,000 retail market traders operating businesses on those markets. Additionally, more than 1 million people are working on those retail markets with the total turnover surpassing 35 billion Euros.

 Europe's Best Weekly Market
26-05-2008 - The Managing Director of Hamburg Wholesale Market for Fruit, Vegetables and Flowers, Torsten Berens, has been appointed to the jury that will decide who will receive the 'Lebendige Stadt' Foundation Award 2008. In October 2008 he will meet with fellow jurors – people who have made a name for themselves in business, politics, government and academia – to choose 'Europe’s Best Weekly Market'. The award, which also carries a cash prize of 15,000 euros, will be presented in November 2008 in Dortmund Town Hall.

 Chinese Markets React to Earthquake
19-05-2008 - The China Agricultural Wholesale Markets Association (CAWA) reacted swiftly to the earthquake which hit Wenchuan County in Sichuan Province on May 12. CAWA Chairman, Mr Zengjun Ma, attending a fruit and vegetable trade fair in Hainan on the day of the earthquake, worked to ensure the allocation of fresh food and support to markets in the quake-hit areas.

 New Chairman Urges Greater Understanding of Sector
08-05-2008 - The World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) held Board elections during its recent conference in Mexico City which saw Graham Wallace, Head of Glasgow Markets in the UK become Chairman, and Torben Flinch, Managing Director of Copenhagen Markets in Denmark become Vice Chairperson. Seven Directors were also elected (or re-elected) from the USA, Poland, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy and Mexico. Existing Board members with mandates expiring in 2009 include market representatives from China, Spain, and the Czech Republic.

 German Ban on Selling Below Cost Price
07-05-2008 - It is now 4 months since an amendment to German law aimed at counteract unfair pricing in the food retailing sector entered into force. German Wholesale Market Association (GFI) Chairman, Mr Andreas Foidl, noted that the German wholesale markets united under GFI “wholeheartedly supported the Federal Government in its efforts to take action against price dumping through new economic policies and laws to protect consumers".

 New Health Commissioner presentation before the EP
06-05-2008 - On 1 April, Androulla Vassiliou, the newly appointed European Commissioner for Health, delivered her opening address at a joint session of the Committees for Environment, Agriculture, Employment and Internal Market and Consumer Protection at the European Parliament. In setting out the priorities of her agenda, the Commissioner underlined the need for Europe to work together to deliver the high levels of public health and food safety that European citizens expect and demand.

 WUWM Launches 2008 Market Awards
18-04-2008 - The World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) will offer three global wholesale market awards in 2008, with submissions closing on 1 September 2008.

 Borough Market Wins Yet Another Award
08-04-2008 - The Borough Market in London, renowned throughout the UK for the excellence of its fresh food and its wide range of traders and being an important social and cultural forum for Londoners, has won the NABMA (National Association of British Market Authorities) Best Speciality Market 2008 Award. This award follows its recent receipt of the Evening Standard London’s Best Market Award and the Evening Standard London’s Best Shopping Experience Award.

 European Conference Supports Retail Markets
27-03-2008 - The Retail Section of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) will hold a European Retail Conference in Hamburg, Germany from 12-13 June 2008. Under the theme "European Retail Markets Driving Communities", the conference will discuss various methods of strengthening and developing retail (covered, street and open-air) markets throughout Europe.

 Developer Sought for UK Market
25-02-2008 - UK urban regeneration company, New East Manchester (NEM), is seeking a development partner for New Smithfield Market in Openshaw, east Manchester. Located less than two and half miles from Manchester city centre, the existing market, which has been operating on its current site since 1972, has approximately 30,000 m2 of lettable space on a 35 acre site. The site is currently 80% occupied with 42 businesses trading in fresh produce including fish, poultry, fruit and vegetables and flowers. This generates £250 million per year to the region's economy and provides 650 jobs.

 Call for supermarkets to be regulated
25-02-2008 - Members of the European Parliament (EP) have signed a written declaration on investigating and remedying the abuse of power by large supermarkets operating in the EU. The declaration requests the European Commission to propose appropriate measures, including regulation, to protect consumers, workers and producers from any abuse of dominant position or negative impacts identified in the course of this investigation.

 New Mercasa President Appointed
18-02-2008 - The General Council of Mercasa (the Spanish national wholesale market network) on proposal of the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) announced last week the appointment of Ignacio Cruz Roche as successor to Javier de Paz Mancho who resigned as President last December.

 "Copenhagen Markets" new name of vegetable market
14-02-2008 - The board of directors of Grønttorvet København A/S have decided to name the new vegetable market in Høje Taastrup "Copenhagen Markets".

 New Covent Garden Market Celebrates Local Food
05-02-2008 - On 6 February 2008, New Covent Garden Market in London hosted A Celebration of Local Food bringing together regional producers, NCGM wholesalers and distributors and regional food groups to showcase the best of local produce.

 WUWM Monthly E-newsletter
04-02-2008 - The WUWM E-newsletter is distributed to members and industry contact persons around the world. Please find attached here the most recent edition and back copies.

 Marc Spielrein Awarded Légion d'Honneur
31-01-2008 - WUWM is pleased to announce that one of its Honorary Chairmen, Marc Spielrein - CEO/Chairman of Rungis International Market in Paris, was recently awarded the cross of Officier de la Légion d'Honneur.

 WUWM Secretary General visits Turkey
29-01-2008 - WUWM Secretary General Maria Cavit recently visited the Istanbul Municipal Wholesale Market to discuss their invitation to host a WUWM Conference in the autumn of 2009. While there she visited the European side of the Istanbul Metropolitan Wholesale Market, as well as the largest retail market in the city, Çarsamba.

 Wholesale Markets at Fruit Logistica
18-01-2008 - Several European members of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) will participate in the upcoming annual Fruit Logistica Expo to be held from 7-9 February in Berlin, Germany.

 Innovative Moves Underway at Dapper Market
06-12-2007 - The 97 year old Dapper Market in Amsterdam was voted 2007 best market of the year in Holland. WUWM Secretary General Maria Cavit and Membership Officer Natalia Barragan recently visited the market and met with Peter Groenendaal, Coordinator of Amsterdam city’s markets.

 Retirement Tribute
03-12-2007 - The World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) pays tribute to Hamburg Wholesale Market Managing Director Wolf Rohde who retires this month having successfully developed the market into one of the leading wholesale markets of the world.

 Mexico City Market Celebrates 25th Anniversary
27-11-2007 - Around 3,000 employees, traders and guests celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Central Wholesale Market of the City of Mexico (CEDA) on 22 November.

 German Markets Meet in Munich
20-11-2007 - The 12th regular General Meeting of the development society GFI German Wholesale Markets was held in Munich on 6 and 7 November 2007. This year, as in past years, members had a packed agenda to work through. GFI members have initiated numerous new marketing measures.

 Hamburg Wholesale Market supports street markets
05-11-2007 - Street markets play an important role in terms of boosting economic activity inside their regions. In view of this, the Economics Ministry of the City of Hamburg, which owns Hamburg Wholesale Market for Fruit, Vegetable and Flowers, has agreed with the municipal district of Hamburg-Bergedorf that action is to be taken to preserve a viable future for the city’s street markets.

 Retail markets across Europe join hands
25-10-2007 - Retail market management authorities and trader organisations across Europe recently met together in Paris to discuss a way forward for the retail market sector.

 Mercati Associati Elections
24-10-2007 - Turin – Ottavio Guala has been re-elected president of Mercati Associati, the association that gathers the Italian food centres and wholesale market authorities. Mr Guala, who is also president of Fedagromercati, Confcommercio and vice-president of Infomercati Consortium, has been at the helm of Mercati Associati since 2004 and was re-elected by unanimous vote.

 25th WUWM Congress
18-09-2007 - The recent 25th Congress of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) held in Beijing, China included the participation of over 400 Chinese delegates, along with an international representation from 34 countries of the world.

 WUWM Congress Press Conference
30-08-2007 - Chinese National Ag-Market Association (CAWA) Chairman, Mr Zenjun Ma and World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) Secretary General, Ms Maria Cavit recently addressed representatives of the Chinese media in advance of the opening of the WUWM 25th Congress.

 Mexico City Hosts WUWM Conference in 2008
26-07-2007 - The wholesale market of the City of Mexico (CEDA) will host the first WUWM Conference in 2008.

 High-throughput laboratory opens in Hamburg
04-07-2007 - A new safety concept for fruit and vegetables, the only one of its kind in Europe, is now in place. Rapid, comprehensive tests for traces of pesticides deliver top levels of food safety.

 Arguing for 'safe' biotechnology
03-07-2007 - Speaking at a recent European Biotechnology Open Day, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said, "There is an economic risk in Europe if we fall behind the global economy in approving safe biotechnology".

 GM Argument Moves to Australia
03-07-2007 - Addressing a recent biofuels forum in Canberra, Australia, the Australian federal minister for agriculture, Peter McGauran, said Australia's state moratoriums on genetically modified (GM) crops are placing the country's agricultural sector at serious risk of being left behind by international competitors.

 WUWM Delegation Visits Polish Markets
13-06-2007 - Poland was one of the biggest fruit and vegetable producers in the European Union in 2005* and Polish fresh produce is in ever-increasing demand throughout the continent. In answer to this success, the wholesale markets in the country are joining forces to keep abreast of these exciting challenges.

 Copenhagen Market Take-Over Announced
29-05-2007 - A consortium consisting of Hoffmann Ejendomme, the Danish property developers, and The Carlyle Group, the global private equity firm, is in the process of taking over the Copenhagen Wholesale Market (Grønttorvet København).

 Chinese Vice Premier Attends WUWM Congress
10-05-2007 - China's Vice premier Wu Yi will make a speech during the opening ceremony of the 25th WUWM Congress in September 2007.

 Mercazaragoza starts direct sea-rail connection
07-05-2007 - Mercazaragoza has inaugurated a direct sea-rail connection from the Maritime Terminal of Zaragoza (tmZ) to the Port of Barcelona, which will encourage the growth of cost-competitive international maritime trade of goods originating from the Ebro valley.

 WUWM 2007 Board Elections Held
25-04-2007 - WUWM Board elections were conducted during the recent WUWM Conference which was held in Turin, Italy from 18-20 April 2007.

 WUWM Conference in Turin a Success
24-04-2007 - The recent Conference of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) held in Turin, Italy was a resounding success, including the participation of retail and wholesale market authorities from 25 countries.

 Hamburg seeks HACCP certification for market hall
15-03-2007 - One of Germany's leading wholesale markets is introducing food safety and hygiene measures that will enable it to obtain HACCP certification.

 Zeleni venac Market in Belgrade Re-opens
12-03-2007 - One of the oldest retail markets in Belgrade - the Zeleni venac Market, has undergone an 18 month major reconstruction and was officially re-opened for business on 16 February 2007.

 WUWM 25th Congress in China
13-02-2007 - The World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) will hold its 25th Congress in Beijing, China from 3-6 September 2007.

 Wholesale Markets Attend Fruit Logistica
13-02-2007 - One of the world’s foremost fruit and vegetable expositions, Fruit Logistica, has seen a steady increase in attendance by wholesale market authorities.

 Common Market Organisation Reforms Announced
29-01-2007 - On 24 January 2007, the European Commission proposed wide-ranging reforms to the Common Market Organisation for fruit and vegetables.

 Covent Garden Modernisation Plan
24-01-2007 - Late last year Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA) announced a two year programme to replace its 30 year old infrastructure with fresh, modern facilities.

 WUWM Retail Work Team Meets in Hamburg
19-12-2006 - The WUWM retail market work team met together on 14 and 15 December 2006, hosted by the Hamburg Market in Germany.

 Unique Logistics Centre Opens in Germany
19-12-2006 - Hodorff Qualitätslogistik GmbH (HQL) officially opened its new logistics centre in Hamburg Wholesale Market with a spectacular extravaganza in the evening of 15 December 2006.

 London Markets Join Forces in Dumping Crack Down
15-12-2006 - London’s three horticultural wholesale markets have joined forces to reduce still further the dumping of unsaleable produce on their markets. With the cost of landfill increasing the three markets decided to tackle the problem at source by imposing hefty fines on anyone dumping produce on their markets.

 CAWA organizes a 25th WUWM Congress meeting
01-12-2006 - CAWA recently convened a Chinese 25th WUWM Congress Meeting within Xin Fa Di Wholesale Market in Beijing. The event was chaired by CAWA President Mr Zengjun Ma and the chairmen of Xin Fa Di wholesale market, Shun Xin Shi Men wholesale market, Jin Xiu Da Di wholesale market, and the Beijing Central Agricultural Wholesale Market.

 Importante evento fruitihortícola latinoamericano
14-11-2006 - La Municipalidad de Las Heras junto al Mercado de la Cooperativa Feria Zonal Las Heras Ltda., la Federación Latino-americana de Mercados de Abastecimiento (FLAMA) y la Federación de Productores y Operadores de Mercados de Abasto de la República Argentina (FENAOMFRA) están organizando “Expolatina 2006 de mercados y centrales de abasto de Latinoamérica” que se llevará a cabo en el predio UCIM los días 4, 5 y 6 de diciembre.

 News Update from New Spitalfields Market in London
14-11-2006 - Since the relocation of New Spitalfields Market from the City of London to the new site in Leyton (East London) some 15 years ago, the market has grown from strength to strength.

 Polish market news update
31-10-2006 - A Conference was held in the Polish Senate on Tuesday 3 October 2006 on the future of wholesale markets in the country.

 WUWM Bremen Conference
10-10-2006 - The recent WUWM Conference hosted by Grossmarkt Bremen in Germany was a great success with more than 130 people from 26 countries attending the event.

 WUWM Meeting with European Parliament Minister
10-10-2006 - On 5 September 2006, WUWM members Marc Spielrein and Marcel Verbelen had the opportunity to meet in Strasbourg with Marianne Thyssen, a Belgian member of the European Parliament who sits on the Committee for Internal Market and Consumer Protection.

 WUWM Beijing 25th Congress Officially Launched
08-08-2006 - The 25th Congress of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) to be celebrated in Beijing, China in September 2007 was recently launched with the full support of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

 WUWM Meeting with EC Commissioner Kyprianou
28-07-2006 - A meeting was held in Thessalonica, Greece on Friday 28 July between representatives of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) and the European Commissioner for the Health and Consumer Protection DG, Mr Markos Kyprianou.