France: Direct supply threatens wholesale market
However, it is not always that busy at the market. Over the years, the supply of flowers has decreased significantly. Compared to five years ago, the supply of flowers dropped by 50 percent. According to our tour guide, this is mainly due to the fact that the suppliers at FloraHolland are increasingly sending their flowers directly to the retailers or florist shops. As 90 percent of the flowers offered at this market come from FloraHolland, this change has a large impact on the wholesalers at the Flower Market."
Below are some photos of the Flower Market.
Our tour guide showing the different market areas.
Rungis
As well a flower market, there is also a market for cheese, meat, fish, diary, fruits and vegetables. In total, the area has a size of 254ha. The majority of the products offered at the market are fruits and vegetables, and last year, they even opened a hall especially for organic products. In total, 1,200 companies are located at the market with almost 12,000 employees. Every day 5,000 buyers are visiting the market and are generating an annual turnover of more than 7 billion euros. Rungis is not just a wholesale market, it is a 'city in a city' with its own hospital, hairdressers saloon, post office, banks, police station, restaurants, day care center etcetera.
Click here to view the entire photo report of the Rungis wholesale market